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Tweets of the Week

The Crystal Ball’s Tweets of the Week is a look back at the highlights of the past week in politics in snippets of 140 characters or less. To get this analysis as soon as news breaks, follow University of Virginia Center for Politics Director, and Crystal Ball founder, Larry Sabato on Twitter by clicking here.

10:33 AM May 14th: Now gone all the way back to 1920s & can find only 5 D SEN runoffs in AR. Just 1 (1942) had 1st-primary loser winning runoff, as I noted Th.

12:19 PM May 14th: New Obama lines about the GOP driving the car into the ditch–which we’ll hear over & over this year–are remarkably similar to Ike ad ’52.

12:20 PM May 14th: Eisenhower on Dems: “If the driver of your school bus runs into a truck, hits a lamppost, drives into a ditch…you get a new bus driver.”

12:24 PM May 14th: Just an amusing coincidence. But it does show how party roles reverse with regularity.

1:46 PM May 14th: PA-12 (Murtha special): A key fact NOT mentioned often enough–This was the ONLY CD in America to switch from Kerry ’04 to McCain ’08.

2:02 PM May 17th: Two brothers running against each other to be top dog! It’s in the UK, David & Ed Miliband to be head of Labour party. David is older one.

2:09 PM May 17th: Back to US primaries: If I read one more story about the “anti-incumbent wave” or how PA/AR/KY will be bellwethers for Nov., I will scream.

2:12 PM May 17th: SO FAR, no extraordinary #s of incumbent defeats or even struggles, and Tues. primary results won’t even be bellwethers for PA,AR,KY in Nov.

2:13 PM May 17th: Primaries are totally different animals than general elections! And they come in many varieties that are being lumped in together.

10:31 PM May 17th: Stunning news about Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) in NYT–he clearly misrepresented himself as a Vietnam War vet. Not Harvard swim team either.

10:34 PM May 17th: Blumenthal was a solid D hold for Senate (Dodd seat). But will ppl forgive this? It’s not garden-variety resume enhancement by a pol. Stupid

9:26 AM May 18th: Politician who least wants to hear about Blumenthal’s resume enhancement: Joe Biden.

9:27 AM May 18th: Politicians who least want to hear about Mark Souder’s messy affair: John Ensign and David Vitter.

9:38 AM May 18th: It’s the most important election day since the last one a week ago. I doubt it will be eclipsed until the next one a few weeks hence.