Too late; Putin beat you to the punch:
"Obama raises money for absent Colo. senator" by David Espo | Associated Press July 10, 2014
WASHINGTON — In a tough race for reelection, Senator Mark Udall chose the benefit of President Obama’s fund-raising prowess Wednesday over the pleasure of his company.
The Colorado Democrat could have had both.
But he opted to work in Washington while the president, whose poll ratings hover around 40 percent in Colorado, headlined a fund-raiser on his behalf in Denver.
Has he seen these poll numbers?
Udall ‘‘is not an ideologue. Doesn’t agree with me on everything. But he believes in the core idea that should be what Democrats are all about: the idea that if you work hard, you should be able to make it,’’ Obama told his audience.
The beneficiary of the event devoted his day to official duties in Washington that dovetailed with home-state politics and his campaign. ‘‘It wasn’t a political decision,’’ said campaign spokesman Chris Harris, an assertion that Republicans pointedly disputed as events produced a political back-and-forth so vigorous that it would be more typical of a day late in the campaign rather than one in early July.
Udall ‘‘has supported the Obama agenda an eye-popping 99 percent of the time,’’ said the National Republican Senatorial Committee, which backs Representative Cory Gardner in the race.
Udall participated in a news conference unveiling legislation to counter a recent Supreme Court ruling that restricted access to contraceptives under the nation’s health care law.
Representing a state where the population is 20 percent Hispanic, he voted to confirm Julian Castro as the new secretary of housing and urban development.
Oh, sorry, wrong Castro.
--more--"
"Senate OK’s Castro to lead HUD" New York Times July 10, 2014
WASHINGTON — The Senate voted Wednesday to confirm Julián Castro as secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban Development, catapulting the young mayor of San Antonio to the national stage and putting him in charge of the agency as it grapples with a sluggish housing recovery and efforts in Congress to overhaul the nation’s housing finance system.
Castro, 39, was confirmed by a vote of 71 to 26. A Mexican-American, he gained national attention in 2012 as the keynote speaker at the Democratic National Convention and is considered a top prospect for the Democratic vice presidential nomination in 2016. His twin brother is Representative Joaquin Castro, Democrat of Texas.
In May, President Obama nominated Castro to succeed Shaun Donovan, whom Obama nominated to become the White House budget director. Castro was praised as mayor for his efforts to revitalize San Antonio’s downtown by attracting private investment.
In a statement, Obama applauded the Senate vote. “I know that together with the dedicated professionals at HUD, Julián will help build on the progress we’ve made battling back from the Great Recession — rebuilding our housing market, reducing homelessness among veterans, and connecting neighborhoods with good schools and good jobs,” the statement said.
I'm so sick of the rhetoric coming from that man.
--more--"
