"Marshall Disappoints Again"

I am sure that Jim Marshall could not care less what I think about his recent interviews on Fixed News or this piece in the Telegraph where he not only bashes all of the health reform plans before Congress, but at the same time manages to slam President Obama and draw a comparison to the Soviet system. How great of him to attack the President's leadership and evoke images of socialism in the same statement. It was a trifecta, only this time, the losers are his Georgia constituents whose health and ability to access care remains among the poorest in the nation. Let me be clear, I was never under any illusion that Marshall would support health care reform. We couldn't even get him to vote for the expansion of children's health care. But, does he have to toss the whole damn party and the President under the bus while doing the bidding of Houston County Republicans? I'm just asking. Folks who read the piece emailed me suggesting that perhaps he is posturing for a move to the minority party. Not a chance of that, I think. Someone else summed it up well in the subject line of her email, "Marshall Disappoints Again." When it comes to health care, that about says it all.

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Tossing Out Tiny Tim

Since we're in the holiday spirit around here... Congressman Jim Marshall has the opportunity to do something that will substantially help families in his district. Given, it's not quite as dramatic as flying over to Iraq for Thanksgiving, but about fourteen hundred families in the district who are facing foreclosure would be awfully grateful. All Marshall has to do is support HR 3609 (which you can find out about here). This bill would improve the 2005 Bankruptcy Bill by simply giving regular homeowners some of the same protections now reserved for the super-rich. That's only fair, right?

According to the Kos, the financial industry, that has dumped hundreds of thousands of dollars into the campaign coffers of a few "Blue Dog" democrats, knew just who to call to lead the opposition to this legislation. Twenty Blue Dog Democrats, including Marshall, signed a letter in 2005 demanding the passage of the original Bankruptcy Bill. In Conservative or Just Plain Corrupt, David Seriota says:

Apparently, the Blue Dogs would have us believe conservative, working-class constituents are insisting their congressional representatives not only support bank foreclosures, but also help Wall Street barons rob the federal treasury.
Nonetheless, over the long term, those like the Blue Dogs will have an increasingly difficult time succeeding - both legislatively and electorally. The more they attach their "conservative" label to such obscene corruption, the more that label will be indelibly tarnished. Aiding loan sharks and tax cheats may elicit campaign donations and smiles in Washington, but it is no way to win hearts and minds in the rest of America.

Ouch.

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This is Important: Action Needed Now

With a 67% increase in the foreclosure rate from 2005 to 2006, Georgia has certainly felt the weight of the crash of the sub-prime lending market. As creditors aggressively marketed sub-prime loans, especially in minority communities, for many, the American Dream was transformed into the American Nightmare.

Now, Georgia's congressional delegation has an opportunity to do something to help protect consumers. HR 3915, The Mortgage Reform and Anti-Predatory Lending Act of 2007 is currently in committee, but word is, a vote could be just around the corner. Surely, we can count on our elected leaders to support this important legislation. Certainly, none of our Democratic members-not Barrow, Marshall or Bishop-would carry an amendment for the lending industry to gut key, common-sense, consumer protections in the bill-like the requirement that creditors be required to determine, based on verified, documented information, that a consumer has a reasonable ability to repay the loan. Surely not.

But, stranger things have happened. After all, Marshall managed to be the lone Democrat opposing even the revised version of SCHIP. So, please drop your congressman an email, TONIGHT, and tell him to vote "yes" on HR 3915 and to leave the key consumer protections in place. This is critical and time-sensitive. The Center for Responsible Lending makes acting easy.

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A Well-Deserved Tongue Lashing

I wonder if Jim Marshall's staff is going to claim that the staff editorial in today's Albany Herald is somehow the work of a sinister left-wing blogger from California? Last week, Rep. Jim Marshall once again voted "no" on SCHIP-and this time his vote was on a modified version of the bill that address at least some of his concerns with the original bill. This time, he stood alone. Completely alone, as the only Democrat in the whole Congress to vote "no." This is what the Albany Herald has to say today about his votes:

America where are you now? Don’t you care about your sons and daughters? Don’t you know we need you now? We can’t fight alone against the monster.
— Steppenwolf
Voters, it seems, have short memories when it comes to the actions of their elected officials. A little slick campaigning, a brief visit to press the flesh and kiss a few babies, a couple of TV ads, and re-election is all but assured.
That being the case, voters in Georgia’s 8th Congressional District need to remember Jim Marshall’s name whenever it appears on any future ballot. Like Zell Miller before him, Marshall is one of those “in- name-only” Democrats who used the party’s finances to win a narrow election and since has shown his true Republican colors.
Voting one’s conscience is one thing, but Marshall’s recent siding with Republicans that allowed President Bush’s veto of the State Children’s Health Insurance Program that would have boosted the state’s PeachCare insurance program clearly illustrates the man’s politics comes before his responsibility to the people of his district.
And even as he was voting twice to deny more money for children whose working families could not afford insurance, Marshall was giving his support to Bush in the president’s efforts to keep pouring billions and billions of dollars into the ill-conceived wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Marshall’s vote to deny the so-called SCHIP funds was no more deplorable than the votes of his state Republican contemporaries (all of whom held ranks), but the fact that he chose to side with an elitist minority who seem hell-bent on using their votes as political pawns while needy children pay the price is beyond reprehensible.
Those of us who bother to follow the political actions of our elected officials admittedly do not have access to all of the information that surrounds the various issues that they vote on. But this vote was one of those let’s-take-care-of-the- children issues that politicians usually feed on.
It would have been relatively inexpensive (a $35 billion expansion over five years that would bring the total in the program up to $60 billion), it would have helped the children of working families (those who earn too much money to qualify for Medicaid but not enough to afford private coverage) and it had overwhelming national support.
Marshall and many of his Republican pals said they did not support the SCHIP legislation primarily because funding was to come from an increase in cigarette taxes, a fact most consider a win-win. Not only would deserving children continue to get vital insurance coverage, the high cost of tobacco products might actually discourage people from developing the nasty, deadly habit and cut the number of cancer- related deaths.
The Georgia Republicrat claimed in the months leading up to the vote on the SCHIP measure, President Bush’s veto and the subsequent failed attempt to override the veto that the issue was among his “highest priorities.” But while he’s defended his vote by saying Democrats failed to clarify where future funding for the program would come from, he has yet to offer an alternative to his alleged party’s plan.
Marshall and his contemporaries who regularly ignore the needs of their constituents in an effort to curry favor with politicians who might further their careers are the most reprihensible of government figures. One understands that the Congressman was (narrowly) elected as a “conservative,” but the PeachCare issue in Georgia is one that transcends political affiliation.
It, simply, was the right thing to do. That Marshall and other elected officials chose to ignore that fact speaks volumes as to their representation of the people who elected them. Hopefully, those same people will remember such votes the next time they see Marshall’s and his pals’ names on a ballot.
E-mail Carlton Fletcher at carlton.fletcher@.at.albanyherald.com.

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Unless You've Just Memorized the GOP Talking Points...

...or just arrived from Mars, you know that water is not the only thing in short supply in Georgia. Georgia may once again have to ration PeachCare dollars. Today, writing for the AJC, Mike King says:

Unless Congress moves quickly to enact an emergency spending plan for the State Children's Health Insurance Program, Georgia will once again have to bar uninsured children from enrolling in its highly successful PeachCare plan.
That emergency plan is needed because earlier this month, President Bush vetoed a bill that would have funded and expanded PeachCare and other state programs for uninsured children. And thanks to a hard-core group of conservatives —- including all the Republican members from Georgia, as well as Rep. Jim Marshall (D-Macon) —- the U.S. House of Representatives last week fell just short of the two-thirds vote needed to override that veto.
As a result, PeachCare is slated to run out of money for new enrollees sometime next month. Without an emergency appropriation, Georgia and other states won't be able to get through 2008 with at least current spending and enrollment levels.

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SCHIP Could Come Down to Marshall's Vote

I know you're probably sick of hearing about SCHIP, Jim Marshall and the vote to override next week, but you're just going to have to bear with me for a few more days. The vote to override is expected to be on October 18th-this Thursday. In the senate, we have the necessary votes to override Bush's veto, and in the House the margin is expected to be razor thin-maybe just one vote. Marshall's vote.

So, if you haven't, and even if you have, please, sign the petition, send him an email, call him and toss in some coins to help BlogPAC run the ad.

As Flack has said:

People from all across the country will be focused on Rep. Marshall and the choice he makes. We need to be focused on changing his mind. There are many ways you can choose to be heard.

1) You can throw a few dollars to Blue America, who will be running a powerful ad in the Telegraph next week.
2) Sign the petition
3) Write him an email - jim.marshall@mail.house.gov
4) Call his office, and tell him to vote to override the veto.
Phone: (202) 225-6531Fax: (202) 225-3013Phone: (478) 464-0255Fax: (478) 464-0277

The final call will rest with Jim, but next week is your chance to make one too.

I'm not sure this vote is what Marshall wanted to become famous for, but, so be it. I can't remember the last time so many different 'forces' have acted in concert in an effort to convince members of Congress to do the right thing. I don't know what will happen, but I bet if there were a national ballot on this legislation it would win the overwhelming support of the American people. I know Jim Marshall believes that providing access to health care to the children of the working poor is the right thing to do, a fact that makes his vote harder to stomach. I'm hoping that Marshall will ignore his consultants and listen to his head, his heart, his constituents-and do the right thing.

Marshall's failure to support this bipartisan legislation designed to continue and expand access to health care for children of the working poor (how controversial can that really be?) has drawn attention from Georgia and national blogs as well as the msm. Nationally, democrats now see Marshall as the guy who failed to support children's health care, but he has an opportunity to be the hero instead of the goat. A vote to override from Marshall would undoubtedly take the cover from others who would then follow his lead.

This can so be his moment. Come on, Jim. Do the right thing.

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Poll: Bush Alliance Drag on Marshall?

From the war in Iraq to SCHIP, Jim Marshall has often "stood with the President" and against his Democratic base. Now, based on some of the information in a new poll, I'm wondering whether Marshall's loyalty to the President may actually hurt him in his district.

A recent poll, conducted by Frederick Polls and Paid for by Altria Corporate Services, Inc., (read push poll from the tobacco industry) indicates that Marshall is very popular in the district-more popular than Bush. Of 400 polled, 49% of respondents thought that Bush was doing an "excellent" or "good" job, while a full 70% said that they had either a very positive or somewhat positive view of Marshall. Add to that the fact that Georgians overwhelmingly favor PeachCare and SCHIP-programs that are more popular than either Bush or Marshall, and it becomes clear that Marshall may just have hitched his wagon to the wrong pony in this fight.

I was actually one of the 400 people in the 8th congressional district who got this push (shove) poll, paid for by the tobacco industry and focused on the plan to increase the cigarette tax in order to pay for the SCHIP. The tobacco industry has spent millions of dollars opposing the SCHIP legislation. We need to tell Marshall to side with Georgia's children in the battle-not with the President, not with Big Insurance and not with Big Tobacco.

So, once more, let's tell Marshall: Vote to Override.

You can sign an online petition here.

Or, drop him an email here:E-mail: jim.marshall@mail.house.gov

Or, call or fax him here:

Phone: (202) 225-6531

Fax: (202) 225-3013

Phone: (478) 464-0255

Fax: (478) 464-0277

If he won't, then tell him to explain it to the children

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"Breathtaking, Fundamental Dishonesty"

Here's what the DLC had to say about Bush's veto of SCHIP:

Though it was hardly a surprise, President Bush's veto of bipartisan legislation reauthorizing and improving the State Children's Health Insurance Program (S-CHIP) was still breathtaking in the fundamental dishonesty of the case he made for his action.

Read more here, and then call or email Rep. Jim Marshall, the only Georgia Democrat to vote against this critical legislation, to ask him why he is standing with President Bush instead of standing for Georgia's children. Tell, Rep. Marshall that this can be his moment. Tell him to vote to override the President's veto. If he will lead, others will follow.

Let's fill his email box. What do you say?

You can sign an online petition here.

Or, drop him an email here:E-mail: jim.marshall@mail.house.gov

Or, call or fax him here:

Phone: (202) 225-6531
Fax: (202) 225-3013
Phone: (478) 464-0255
Fax: (478) 464-0277

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Marshall/Bush Voters

If you have not already done so, this will surely provide the incentive you need to contact Jim Marshall about his 'no' vote on SCHIP. Yesterday, I blogged about Doug Moore, Marshall's spokesperson, making the statement that Marshall supported Bush in this debate. Some have said that could not be so. Well, here's the whole quote from the 13 WMAZ website:

Marshall couldn't be reached for comment. But his spokesman Doug Moore said Marshall and the President were on the same side on the health-care bill. Moore also noted that Bush won 62 percent of the vote in the 8th District in 2004."Does anyone know any Ellis-Bush voters?" Moore said.

Marshall is more concerned about the Marshall/Bush voters than voting to support this critical SCHIP legislation. Tell Marshall that's just not right-tell him to vote to override! Just do it. It won't take but a minute, and Georgia's children will thank you.

This does matter. If you have a blog please post this. If you have not done so yet, please let Marshall hear from you.

Here, again, is the contact information:

Let's fill his email box. What do you say?

You can sign an online petition here.


Or, drop him an email here:E-mail: jim.marshall@mail.house.gov

Or, call or fax him here:

Phone: (202) 225-6531
Fax: (202) 225-3013
Phone: (478) 464-0255
Fax: (478) 464-0277

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Marshall: "Supporting the President's Position on SCHIP"

Doug Moore, Marshall's spokesperson, was quoted tonight on 13 WMAZ regarding Marshall's SCHIP vote. Moore said that Congressman Marshall supports the President's position on SCHIP. That's the money quote.

Thanks for clarifying the reason for Jim's vote, Doug.

Kos, and other sources are saying that four of the eight Democrats who voted 'no' on the bill will vote to override and there is a hope that as many as four Republicans are ready to join them.
Forget about Jack, Jim. We already have. Do the right thing-vote to override. Help send Jim Marshall a message: support Georgia's children, not George Bush.

This does matter. If you have a blog please post this. If you have not done so yet, please let Marshall hear from you.

Here, again, is the contact information:

Let's fill his email box. What do you say?

You can sign an online petition here.

Or, drop him an email here:E-mail: jim.marshall@mail.house.gov

Or, call or fax him here:

Phone: (202) 225-6531
Fax: (202) 225-3013
Phone: (478) 464-0255
Fax: (478) 464-0277

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It Just Occurred to Me....

Being the shrewd politician that he is, is it possible Jim Marshall paid Jack Ellis to announce this today to take the heat off of him for the SCHIP vote? :) If he didn't, he should have.

Kidding

The sentiment among Democrats seems to be "how can Jack Ellis possibly think that he can win this race?"

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Jack Ellis to Challenge Jim Marshall

Oh, boy. Randall Savage with 13 WMAZ just called me and said that Mayor Ellis has made it official-he will be challenging Jim Marshall in the Democratic Primary for the 8th congressional district. This will create interesting dynamics in the primary, but Marshall really has nothing to worry about. In fact, Ellis' entry into the race may drive some mad Democrats (think SCHIP) to Marshall side. I'm about to do an interview for WMAZ and will be saying that I would strongly support Marshall in that contest-but Jim, don't you think for one second that this let's you off the SCHIP hook. Keep those emails coming, folks. Tell Marshall to vote to override.

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I'd Like a Little Leadership With My Coffee, Please...

This could be Jim Marshall's moment-if he will step up to the plate and stand up to the President. Before I got out of bed this morning, I picked up my blackberry to read the headlines. (Yes, I really am that addicted.) The first two, taken together, pretty much sums up how many Georgians are feeling about Bush's veto of SCHIP:

1) Bush veto threatens PeachCare funding (AJC) 2. Ga. plans execution this month (AJC)

Further down the list, there was this:

Marshall could feel heat to override Bush veto (Macon Telegraph)

Marshall has been getting a good bit of pressure via Georgia's progressive blogs this morning, and now the AJC has noticed. Galloway and company opine that Marshall is unlikely to switch his vote, and that pushing Kucinich is a better option. That's probably true, but unfortunately, a vote from Kucinich get us one vote, but Marshall could bring others along with him. If Jim Marshall can vote against the President, in his district, so can others of of the 29 needed to override the veto. That's why Marshall's vote is vital.

This does matter. If you have a blog please post this. If you have not done so yet, please let Marshall hear from you. Here, again, is the contact information:

Let's fill his email box. What do you say?

You can sign an online petition here.
Or, drop him an email here:E-mail: jim.marshall@mail.house.gov
Or, call or fax him here:Phone: (202) 225-6531
Fax: (202) 225-3013
Phone: (478) 464-0255Fax: (478) 464-0277

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Tell Marshall: Vote to Override!!

So, are you ready put your clicker and keyboard where your mouth is?

There's been a lot of chatter on the blogs about Jim Marshall's vote on SCHIP. Unfortunately, I don't think Marshall actually reads the blogs. Hard to believe, I know. (Where else can you find ideas like "Glenn Richardson is the Tax Jesus"?) Anyway, I digress.

How about we work together to make sure Jim Marshall hears from Georgia Democrats asking him to vote to override President Bush's veto? Let's fill his email box. What do you say?

You can sign an online petition here.

Or, drop him an email here:

E-mail: jim.marshall@mail.house.gov

Or, call or fax him here:

Phone: (202) 225-6531
Fax: (202) 225-3013
Phone: (478) 464-0255
Fax: (478) 464-0277

Tell Jim Marshall: Vote to Override!!

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Front Page Promotion: LOAF

From the excellent comments this morning on "What Are We For?", Fall Line Dem offers up a proposal for a brand new political party, LOAF. See a portion of the comment below:

Simply in an effort to get elected, it seems that Democrats are running as barely as they can to the left of Republicans. With regard to Marshall's vote, I would have thought the increasing access to reasonable health care for children of working families would be a "Democratic" value. It would also seem to be an issue on which Marshall could lead. However, our Congressman appears more interested in trying not to be objectionable to members of the Republican party than he is of distinguishing why he is a "Democrat" in anything other than in name only. Perhaps there should be a new "party" for Jim Marshall and his ilk: the Least Objectionable Alternative Front (LOAF)".

Update:c And, now for a little levity, Button points out that members of the LOAF party would correctly be referred to as "Loafers."

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What Are We For?

What are we for? That's the question I've been asking in the wake of Jim Marshall's troubling vote on SCHIP. I've made more than a few Democratic ripples by publicly criticizing his vote, but I think that just as it is our role to get Democrats elected-it's our responsibility to hold them accountable once they're in office. Frankly, if Democrats cannot agree on doing more to help provide health care to the children of the working poor, then I'm not sure what we can agree on or what compelling case we can make to the American people for why they should buy what we're selling.

Beyond this particular vote, by this particular Democrat, if we hope to earn the confidence of voters, then we must develop and articulate a vision for where and how we plan to lead in the 21st century. The solutions for a rapidly changing world with a technology-rich global economy and a burgeoning service sector flush with low-wage, no insurance, forget-about-retirement-benefits jobs are not the same solutions our post-depression, post-WWII parents and grandparents needed.

Republicans-with their regressive tax plans and program cuts-see the service sector as a vehicle to help today's landed gentry get richer. I hope that Democrats see these low-wage workers as partners in this new economy-partners for whom government ought to provide a ladder out of poverty that they can choose to climb. But, our voice, on this and other important issues, is weak. So weak that Marshall is apparently hoping for an easier road to re-election in 2008, despite his SCHIP vote.

Our task is not simply about finding media-ready candidates, not just about raising bucket-loads of money, and not about figuring out a new way to "say" what we have always said while defending the Democratic holy trinity of Social Security, Medicare and public schools. It is not about using the right language or correctly framing the message so that the women who makes your coffee tomorrow morning will decide to go to the polls and vote for a Democrat-it's about deciding what we will do to help her lift herself out of poverty once we are elected. It really is about deciding what we are for.

The great leaders of our generation will not simply look back to the past in an effort to preserve the Party, but, instead, they will look around them and to the future and dare to offer a compelling argument for why we should be allowed to govern.

I'm interested in what you think Democrats should be "for." When I move away from programs and think about values, the first words that come to mind are "fairness" and "opportunity." I like Elizabeth Edwards' idea that it is right for government to provide the ladder so that people can climb out of poverty, but not the job of government to climb the ladder for them or carry them up the rungs.

What do you think Democrats are "for"? Think values, not programs.

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Jim???

I could not possibly be more disappointed in my congressman than I am right now. Jim Marshall voted "no" on SCHIP. Flack has said it better than I can. I would like to say that I'm in shock, but I'm not. Marshall voted "no" on the last SCHIP bill that moved through the House.

Congressional Democrats are in real trouble. Bush has promised to veto this bill. If we do not come up with the margin needed to over ride the veto, then we are about to look as impotent on health care as we do in Iraq.

There are those who live in a fantasy land where the majority in an incompetent Congress with an approval rating of barely over 10% expands its margin at the next election and manages to get one of it's own members elected President. I don't live there. We are in real trouble not just in terms of whether or not we can win, but more importantly, in terms of whether or not we can lead.

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Help Us, Jim Marshall, You're Our Only Hope

During the last legislative session, I was so proud when Marshall addressed the General Assembly and told them that he was confident that Congress would certainly reauthorize the SCHIP program and would likely even expand it. Now, we need Congressman Marshall to vote "yes" to reauthorize the program and side with working families in Georgia. I don't know how he plans to vote, but he needs to hear from Georgians.

This is important, critical, really. It's time to act. Please call or email Congressman Jim Marshall and ask him to vote 'yes' to expand and reauthorize SCHIP. The vote in the House is likely to be on Tuesday. Marshall's is a key swing vote on this issue. He was one of only ten Democrats to vote 'no' on an earlier version of the bill. We need his vote, not just to pass this critical legislation, but to send a message to Bush that a veto is unacceptable.

This is his email address, and he needs to hear from all of us: jim.marshall@mail.house.gov

Here's what I know, courtesy of First Focus:

...An agreement on a framework for SCHIP re-authorization has been reached by the House and the Senate leadership. Congress intends to send a bill to the President before the program's September 30th expiration date. While the details of the agreement have not been released, we understand that the bill will closely resemble the $35 billion Senate-passed bill, S. 1893, which includes a 61-cent tobacco tax and covers approximately 4 million new uninsured children. As expected, the Medicare provisions that were part of the House-passed CHAMP Act (H.R. 3162) will be stripped from the bill to be taken up in a separate measure later this fall. While the agreement tracks more closely with the Senate bill, we understand that key provisions from the House bill are part of the agreement, e.g. the agreement includes the House funding formula with a cap and the House dental benefit. While negotiations are ongoing and staff did not offer any sort of comprehensive review of the agreement that has been reached, in answering a very limited number of questions from advocates we learned that some of the provisions in the current agreement include the following:
§ Address in some manner the August 17th CMS letter;
§ Includes some “blended” provision on citizenship documentation requirements;
§ Includes some “conceptual agreement” on Express Lane Eligibility;
§ Includes some form of mental health parity;
§ Tracks the Senate bill on parent coverage and pregnant women.

We expect that details will continue to trickle out but that we won’t see the final agreement until early next week.

Timing

The House leadership says the bill will be taken up by the House Rules Committee on Monday, followed by a House floor vote on Tuesday. The bill will then be taken up by the Senate. To be sent to the White House by the end of the week.

Get Dialing!!

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A Democrat Running Against Marshall?

I hear that a gentleman named Robert Nowak is planning to run against Jim Marshall in the Democratic primary. I believe that he is from Warner Robins and that he was an educator by profession. I met him on Friday when he came to Politics and Lunch.

I stand by previous comments about Marshall. I agree with him about half the time-much more often than I would agree with his various Republican opponents. Plus, Jim has done a great job of representing Georgia, especially Middle Georgia. His constituent services are excellent. And, he's the only sort of Democrat who has a prayer in the race. I'll be supporting Marshall.

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Marshall-1, Goddard-0

Since I'm in a baseball sort of mood...

In the bottom of the first inning of the Marshall-Goddard contest for Congress, Goddard delivered a fastball on the outside corner of proper, and Marshall knocked it out of the park.

Last week, Goddard attacked Marshall for being "overseas" for some of the debate on the Farm bill, and today, Marshall made Goddard pay the price for sloppy research and half-truths. You see, Marshall was "overseas." Goddard was well aware of, but omitted, the fact that Marshall was embedded with Special Forces troops in Pakistan, Not exactly a vacation on the French Rivera. He also didn't know or failed to say that Marshall had participated in the debate on the Farm bill in committee and returned to D.C. in time to assure passage in the House.

This exchange was a loss for Goddard on so many levels. He gave Marshall an opportunity to display his (authentic) hawk wings and underscore his current post on the important Armed Services Committee-not a good move for Major General Goddard who is sure to rely on that title in his campaign. Good luck with that, General. Jim's so hawkish he makes some Democrats cringe.

Marshall also made it clear that Goddard doesn't have home field advantage when discussing the activities of Congress. And, if that's not enough, he gave Marshall the honors of being the first to reference "San Francisco" in this campaign-and not in a good way. In short, Goddard gave Marshall a gift-he opened his right flank, and Marshall moved in and set up camp. Plus, just by telling the truth, Marshall made Goddard look petty and disingenuous. I confess to having been worried about this race. Not anymore. Marshall's known on Capitol Hill as a pretty good baseball player. Goddard might want to remember that before his next pitch.

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