After a few months of listening to Republicans crow about significant recruitment gains for key Senate contests, Democratic candidates have finally begun crawling out of the woodwork.

For several months, Republicans could boast of key Senate candidates who announced early for 2012 Senate contests:

Rep. Jeff Flake (R) in Arizona

U.S. Rep. Denny Rehberg (R) in Montana

Attorney General Jon Bruning (R) and former nominee Don Stenberg (R) in Nebraska

Rep. Dean Heller (R) in Nevada

Former Rep. Heather Wilson (R) in New Mexico

Former Sen. George Allen (R) in Virginia

Republicans agued that Democrats were still reeling from their losses in 2010 while the GOP had the wind at their backs.

The weather forecast today is a bit more mixed.

Two significant Democratic candidates have entered contest and given Democrats more hope that they can retain control of the Senate – although that remains a daunting challenge.

Most recently, former Virginia Governor Tim Kaine (D) entered the contest to replace Senator Jim Webb (D), who is retiring.  He will likely face Allen, although the former incumbent has challenges from the right.

In New Mexico, Rep. Martin Heinrich (D) will run and is probably at least even money in the contest – in part because Republicans may again go through a damaging primary. The more conservative elements in the state despise Wilson.

Still, much depends on the mood of the country in November 2012. And the mood of the country depends in a major way on the economy.

The Presidential contest in 2012 will play a major role in Senate races as well.

Edie Wilkie will be missed by all those  who knew her. Edie’s sparkle was always part of her.  She contributed her astute judgments to whatever “our crowd” was working on. With Edie our crowd grew in numbers and the combinations she organized…

A wonderful person, a great activist and a true organizer has died. Edie Wilkie had a superb career in Washington, DC educating and organizing Members of Congress on behalf of a progressive national security policy.

She also was a dear and loyal friend.

The executive director of Arms Control and Foreign Policy Caucus from 1978 to 1995, Edie worked with many activist Members of Congress of both houses and both parties. The Caucus was a bipartisan organization of 150 members of the U.S. Senate and House who worked together on foreign policy initiatives.

She previously worked as Chief of Staff for Rep. Fortney (Pete) Stark (D-CA), who is still in Congress, and Rep. Ogden R. Reid (R-NY).

Whether it was opposition to the Vietnam War, the nuclear freeze, ending funding for proxy wars in Central America, strengthening human rights around the globe, arms control or the military budget, Edie was always effective in ensuring that the progressive position was well represented in votes, Dear Colleague letters and speeches.

She also had reasoned judgments and good advice to all with whom she worked. She was effective in both the inside game and the outside game with Congress.

After leaving the Caucus, Edie remained active by serving on the boards of directors of Council for a Livable World and Council’s PeacePAC, Ploughshares Fund and the Center for International Policy.

Her obituary is below:

Wilkie-Edwards promoted world peace, loved Edgewater home
By BECKY BALTIMORE, Staff Writer
Capital Gazette Communications
Published 04/03/11

Edith “Edie” Wilkie Edwards, peace promoter and arms control activist, former congressional staff member and wife of retired California Congressman Don Edwards, died Thursday in Carmel, Calif. of pulmonary disease. She was 64.

Her husband, a 32-year congressman who represented San Jose, Calif, and chaired the Civil and Constitutional Rights Subcommittee of the House Judiciary Committee, survives her.

The couple retired from powerful Capitol Hill careers in 1995 and for more than a decade lived half the year at Holly Point, their home overlooking the Chesapeake Bay in Edgewater and half the year in Carmel. They settled in Carmel the past three years.

“She absolutely loved living on the Chesapeake Bay and their home at Holly Point, with a wonderful view,” said longtime friend Terence Smith of Shady Side. Smith is a Pulitzer Prize-nominated, retired New York Times, CBS News, and PBS political journalist.

“Edith and Don were often seen on their Boston Whaler on the West River,” Smith recalled. “She will be terribly missed by many and had a wide circle of friends in and around Edgewater and the Chesapeake Bay.”

“She was an avid tennis player, as well, with a forehand her opponents considered lethal,” Smith added.

In her career, however, she promoted peace. Known professionally as Edith Wilkie, she directed Congress’ bipartisan and bicameral Arms Control and Foreign Policy Caucus from 1978 to 1995. She worked to halt the development of new nuclear weapons, end funding for proxy wars in Central America, garner congressional support for the United Nations and strengthen human rights around the globe.

Wilkie also is survived by five stepsons; a sister and two brothers, Rennie Wilkie Lieber, John McNeil Wilkie and Peter Wilkie, and their families, as well as her stepmother, Margot Loines Wilkie, of New York and Martha’s Vineyard and two stepsisters, Faith Morrow Williams and Constance Morrow Fullenweider and their families.

Smith said a memorial service is being planned for early May in Carmel. Another service is possible in Washington, although no date has been set.

Memorial contributions in remembrance of Wilkie may be made to the Ploughshares Fund, at www.ploughshares.org, the largest grantmaking foundation in the U.S. dedicated exclusively to security and peace funding. Its goal is to create a safe, secure, nuclear weapon-free world.

In 2009, after serving fourteen years on the Ploughshares Fund board of directors, Wilkie’s colleagues established the first-ever grant program at Ploughshares Fund honoring an individual – The Edith B. Wilkie Grant for Conflict Prevention and Peacekeeping.

Remembering Edie Wilkie
Ploughshares Fund – Posted on Apr 1 2011 10:05 am
April 1, 2011

The Ploughshares Fund family has lost a dear friend and source of uncommon wisdom, knowledge and leadership. Edith B. Wilkie died peacefully March 31, 2011, surrounded by friends and family.

In 2009, after serving fourteen years on the Ploughshares Fund board of directors, Edie’s colleagues established the first-ever grant program at Ploughshares Fund honoring an individual – The Edith B. Wilkie Grant for Conflict Prevention and Peacekeeping. In 2010 that grant was awarded to Crisis Group for its on-the-ground reporting and national advocacy on South Asia.

Edie was a pioneer in exploring the military’s role in peacebuilding, in addition to having served as a congressional staff member from 1968 to 1995.  For sixteen years she directed Congress’ bipartisan Arms Control and Foreign Policy Caucus, and she created the Congressional Roundtable on U.S.-Soviet Relations with grants from Ploughshares Fund.

Edie will be deeply missed by all who were fortunate to have known and worked with her.

Council for a Livable World launched a campaign today targeting six Republicans leaders in the House and Senate regarding their support for cuts to vital nuclear security programs at the National Nuclear Security Administration.

We targeted House Speaker John Boehner, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, House Appropriations Committee Chairman Hal Rogers, House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan and Senate Appropriations Committee Ranking Member Thad Cochran.  While we were unable to run an ad in House Energy and Water Appropriations Subcommittee Chairman Rodney Frelinghuysen’s district, we are doing some local media work there.  

This morning beginning at 6am, in each member’s district or state, right-wing radio talk shows played ads featuring Center Senior Military Fellow Lt. General Robert Gard calling them out for their cuts to programs that keep nuclear weapons material out of the hands of terrorists. The ads can be heard here on the Council’s website.

We’ve also set up a Action Center so that you can e-mail or call your Representatives or Senators and urge them to restore cuts to Non Proliferation Programs!

For more information on Council’s campaign please contact Bridget Nolan (202) 546-0795 ext 2113 or bnolan@clw.org

(https://livableworld.org/calendar/)

The Continuing Resolution saga continues. Last week, the Senate rejected both the House and the Senate Appropriations Committee versions of a bill to fund the government for the rest of Fiscal Year 2011.

On March 9, the Senate rejected the House-passed Continuing Resolution that would have cut the President’s budget by $100 billion by a vote of 44 – 56 and a Senate Appropriations Committee version that would cut $51 billion from the President’s request by a vote of 42 – 58.

On Friday, March 11, the House Appropriations Committee proposed another short-term Continuing Resolution to fund the government until April 8.

The House is expected to vote on the bill on March 15 — beware of the ides of March. The Senate should vote later this week.

Both houses of Congress are in recess next week.

Sporadic negotiations continue on a funding bill for the rest of the year.

The Senate Appropriations Committee bill rejected by the Senate had proposed to restore about $300 million for the nuclear non-proliferation program, still a reduction of about $360 million from the Administration’s request compared to a $648 million cut in the House bill.

With that budget rejected, the account is still being funded at $2.1 billion in the Continuing Resolution, about $550 million less that the Administration request while funding for nuclear complex modernization remains at the Administration-requested level of $7 billion.

It is important to focus on a few numbers:

$2.1 billion – spending level for “Defense Nuclear Nonproliferation” since the beginning of Fiscal Year 2011 that began on October 1, 2010.

          $551 billion less than the Administration’s request for Fiscal Year 2011

$7.0 billion – spending level for “National Nuclear Security Administration – Weapons Activities” (Nuclear complex modernization)

          $624 million above the Fiscal Year 2010 level

The $2.3 billion level for “Defense Nuclear Nonproliferation” proposed by the Senate Appropriations Committee has not been adopted by the Senate or approved by the House.

Click  here for a complete chart of the confusing funding figures by the incomparable Kingston Reif.