Eye On The Left: Hot On The Campaign Trail

Best they've got?

Deadspin, a left-wing sports website run by Gawker Media, thought it was offering a big scoop with its recent news that Republican Colorado U.S. Senate candidate Cory Gardner lied when he said he played high school football. Trouble is, he did play in Yuma, Colo., and the website's source says he told the website so in an email. The 1,300-word Deadspin article, in making its point, was filled with off-color language and gay innuendo ("Gardner played both ways?") and described the candidate as a "homo-hatin' and climate-change-denyin'" liar.

However, its source, Chuck Pfamer, a retired teacher at the high school, says he never told the website Gardner did not play when he talked to a reporter by phone but did follow up with an email noting that the senatorial candidate did play for three years but did not play his senior year.

Gardner, obviously amused at the turn of events, Tweeted a photo of himself in a Yuma uniform and said, "I never thought my unheralded sports career would make it onto [Deadspin]."

Been there, done that

In the final debate ahead of the November vote for the open Iowa U.S. Senate seat last week, Democratic U.S. Rep. Bruce Braley took time to lecture his Republican opponent, state Sen. Joni Ernst, how to handle Iraq, the option of putting U.S. ground troops back in the region and the threat of ISIS. No harm in schooling the little lady, right?

Ernst must have been shocked at the candidate's lack of knowledge about her or else just thought he thought he knew more about the situation.

"I will remind you," she said, "that I have served in Iraq. My boots were on the ground now held by ISIS." And even with that knowledge, she said, she would carefully consider the circumstances before voting to send U.S. men and women in harm's way.

I know his name begins with 'O'

West Virginia senatorial candidate Natalie Tennant made it three last week, become the third senatorial candidate to refuse to name President Obama as their choice for the nation's highest office in 2008 and/or 2012. Previously, Alison Lundergan Grimes in Kentucky and Michelle Nunn in Georgia had refused to answer the question at various forums. Tennant, to her credit, at least said she "voted for the Democratic party" in the election but quickly cited her differences with Obama and Environmental Protection Agency administrator Gina McCarthy. She then went on to explain about how she'll stand up for West Virginians regardless of party.

Republican Shelley Moore Capito and the Libertarian, Constitution and Mountain party candidates all volunteered their choices of candidates. Capito is expected to win the election, replacing Democrat Jay Rockefeller in one of the seats the GOP will need to take control of the Senate.

Fan of fans

It's apparently hot under the lights for Florida's Charlie Crist, the Democratic candidate for governor, in more ways than one. Last week in a debate with Gov. Rick Scott, his podium had a fan in violation of debate rules. With the violation of rules, Scott refused to take the stage. Four minutes later, he did, though, and the debate went on as planned.

At tomorrow night's next debate, Crist will not be allowed to have a fan, no matter how hot under the collar he is. Asked last week about what he thought motivated Crist -- who has run for governor in the state as a Republican, independent and Democrat -- to have the fan in violation of the rules, Scott said, "He was sweating and needed a fan. I'm surprised he didn't ask for dry ice."

Twit tweet

CBS National News journalist Katy Conrad failed to do her homework recently when she sent out a snarky Tweet after interviewing Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky. Her Tweet said, "Not sure when Sen. Rand Paul became a doctor, but [he] says Ebola can spread from a person who has the disease to someone standing 3ft away. Uhmm."

Before the journalist deleted her Tweet, at least one person responded. Nick Dyer noted that "A 'journalist' for CBS News doesn't realize Sen. Rand Paul has been a doctor for over 20 years."

Paul is a graduate of Duke University School of Medicine and is an ophthalmologist.

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