The RP’s Weekly Web Gems- The Politics of the States

The National Organization for Marriage’s assault on moderate Republicans in New York shows no signs of stopping. After State Senators James Alesi, Mark Grisanti, Roy McDonald, and Stephen Saland, all of whom represent traditionally-Republican areas of Upstate New York, were feted by New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg last week, NOM released an advertisement entitled “Money Dance,” in the style of the popular Jib-Jab political videos. The ad, which portrays the four Senators dancing in pairs while wearing tuxedos (intentionally evoking wedding couples) while being showered with cash, accuses the men of being bought off by wealthy donors who support same-sex marriage. [Albany Times Union]

In response to Republican-backed legislation that would require welfare recipients to undergo drug tests, Ohio State Representative Robert F. Hagan has put forth a bill that would require state-level elected officials, including lawmakers and Supreme Court justices, to take drug and alcohol tests. Such requirements would extend to people standing to benefit from the Troubled Assets Relief Program. The bill also includes a procedure for recalling elected officials in the State of Ohio. [Columbus Dispatch]

On the topic of recall elections, Wisconsin has a second round coming up on the horizon. By Wisconsin state law, legislators can be target for a recall after they have served one year of their terms; in November, 11 Republicans and six Democrats will become eligible. The 17 legislators join two Republicans and four Democrats who were targeted by recall efforts that failed to garner enough signatures in the last round of attempted ousters. Scott Fitzgerald (R-Juneau), Senate Majority Leader, has said that he is considering targeting many if not all elegible Democrats. The current spate of chaos is on top of a pre-existing effort to recall Governor Scott Walker. [Milwaukee Journal Sentinel]

Pennsylvania Democrats seem to be stricken with the same incumbent-challenging ailment as establishment Republicans. Tim Burns, a businessman from rural Western Pennsylvania, has entered the race for the Republican nomination for Senator, challenging single-term incumbent Bob Case, Jr. Burns, a failed 2010 Congressional candidate, joins a crowded, but relatively undistinguished, Republican field that includes numerous other Tea Party-backers and businessmen. [Pittsburgh Post-Gazette]

Occupy Iowa protesters are running into legal troubles with Republican Governor Terry Branstad and his administration, as the state has refused to reauthorize a protest permit. In an effort to avoid being arrested by the State Police, the protestors were working to pull together as large a protest as they could, numbering in the several hundreds and aiming for at least 1,000. [Des Moines Register]

In a rather odd move for a man who was elected claiming he would create 700,000 jobs on top of expected growth, Florida Governor Rick Scott told a radio show that he “didn’t have to create any jobs,” and only needed to focus on making sure that job growth was positive. The comment was made on a show hosted by Bud Hedinger, a conservative talk radio host in suburban Orlando who broke the right wing radio mold by pressing Scott on his jobs record and the fact that he now questions the usefulness of Florida’s economic prediction models. [St. Petersburg Times Forum]

California Lieutenant Governor Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, roundly criticized his state for complacency about jobs. Pushing his jobs plan, one that has been overshadowed by Governor Jerry Brown’s, Newsom said “We’re like the aging high school football player that talks about the good ol’ days,” referring to the state’s breakneck jobs creation record between the 1950’s and 1980’s, at a conference in Beverly Hills. Interestingly, Newsom attributed the problem, at least in part, to bitter partisanship in Sacramento, calling the state legislature “tribal.” [Sacramento Bee]