FL Gov. Charlie Crist (R) -- under fire from conservatives for his famous embrace with Pres. Obama at a Feb. event in support of the stimulus package -- would not embrace ex-AK Gov. Sarah Palin (R) today, noting that Palin hasn't offered her endorsement of his FL SEN bid.
Then again, Crist wouldn't say he would accept her support if offered.
Crist's comments, in a brief interview with Hotline OnCall, are the latest indication that many prominent GOPers view Palin more as a liability than an asset -- even if, like Crist, they are courting the right.
Crist has been under fire from ex-state House Speaker Marco Rubio (R), who has attacked the gov. for his support of the stimulus measure, among other issues. Last week, Rubio earned the support of the Club for Growth, the anti-tax organization.
(FELICIA SONMEZ)
Continue reading "Crist Not Embracing Palin -- Yet" »
A new poll out today from '08 nominee Andy Harris' (R) camp shows him leading Rep. Frank Kratovil (D-MD 01) 52-39% in the Eastern Shore-based CD, adding to mounting signs that the environment has shifted dramatically in the GOP's favor in the last year.
Just over a year ago, Kratovil declared victory after a days-long recount gave him a 2,852-vote win over Harris. But a year of tough votes (he voted no on the stimulus and health care reform bill, and yes on the climate bill) -- and the worsening climate for Dems, particularly in CDs that John McCain carried -- have combined to severely damage his re-election chances.
The Tarrance Group poll, conducted 11/15-17 among 300 LVs, shows Kratovil enjoying a 43-30% fav/unfav rating, but 49% of voters say they prefer someone new to represent them, while just 29% say Kratovil deserves to be re-elected. The survey had a margin of error of +/- 5.7%.
Continue reading "MD-01: Harris Leads Kratovil" »
The DCCC, like its GOP counterpart, spent more than it took in during Oct., thanks to the expensive NY-23 special election. Still, it outraised the NRCC, as the Dem cmte took in $3.8M last month. It also outspent the NRCC, shelling out nearly $4M (about $1.1M of which aided now-Rep. Bill Owens' (D) winning campaign).
While the DCCC has more debt than the NRCC ($3.3M-$2M), it has a huge cash-on-hand edge. At the end of Oct., the DCCC had $14.5M in the bank, while the NRCC lagged with just $4.2M.
(TIM SAHD)
The first thing a GOPer thinking of running against Sen. Harry Reid (D-NV) should consider: Do I have any idea what I'm in for?
Reid faces dismal approval ratings -- the latest survey, conducted by the independent Research 2000 for the Progressive Change Campaign Cmte, showed just 35% of Nevadans have a favorable opinion of the senior senator, while 54% see him unfavorably. What's more, he trails the two GOP challengers he has been matched against in public polls.
That leaves most political observers to conclude that Reid's only path to victory is to follow NJ Gov. Jon Corzine's (D) footsteps. Corzine, who was never able to move his numbers above the low-40s, sought to criticize his opponent in such a way that made the GOPer less electable than himself.
But Reid will differ in one respect: Corzine began his offensive against Gov.-elect Chris Christie (R) too late, and Christie won the election. Reid has already signaled he will begin his assault early enough to make a real difference. Some GOPers even believe Reid will get involved in their primary.
"Going into this race, I know Reid. Everybody knows Reid, and they know what he's going to do, and not only capable of doing but will do. He's going to get as dirty as you can possibly get," said Danny Tarkanian, a businessman who is polling ahead of the incumbent. "He's going to vaporize us."
Continue reading "GOPers Brace For Reid Assault" »
Here are the scheduled guests for the Sunday public affairs shows and other weekend programs:
SUNDAY
Meet the Press hosts Senate Maj. Whip Dick Durbin, Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX) and Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-CT). The roundtable will feature ex-Amb. Nancy Brinker and NBC's Dr. Nancy Snyderman.
Face the Nation hosts Senate Min. Whip Jon Kyl, Sen. Charles Schumer (D-NY) and CBS' Dr. Jennifer Ashton.
This Week hosts Sen. Ben Nelson (D-NE), Sen. Tom Coburn (R-OK), Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL) and Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN). The roundtable will feature Washington Post's George Will, ex-Clinton Labor Sec. Robert Reich, Liz Cheney and Aspen Institute's Walter Isaacson.
Fox News Sunday hosts Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-TN), Sen. Kit Bond (R-MO), Sen. Arlen Specter (D-PA) and NIH ex-dir. Dr. Bernadine Healy. The roundtable will feature FNC's Brit Hume, NPR's Mara Liasson, Weekly Standard's Bill Kristol and Washington Post's Anne Kornblut.
State of the Union hosts Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Senate Min. Leader Mitch McConnell, Dem strategist James Carville, GOP strategist Mary Matalin and ex-HP CEO Carly Fiorina (R) (see below for guests on SOTU's Reliable Sources segment).
See other weekend shows after the jump.
(ABBY LIVINGSTON)
Continue reading "Weekend Lineup" »
Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX), who backed out of a pledge to resign her seat while pursuing the GOV mansion, used her first TV ad to cast her decision not to resign as a profile in courage.
"I'm going to do everything I can to stop the government takeover of health care, and it's why I'm staying in the Senate through the primary, at risk to my political future," Hutchison says in the 30-second spot. "I cannot walk away while this is pending in Congress."
Hutchison has taken some heat for going back on her pledge to step down sometime this fall, but less so for the decision itself than for the ham-handed way she appeared to handle it. The decision, made last week, came after some Hutchison backers expressed concern about her campaign's perceived lack of progress against Gov.
Rick Perry (R), and it gave Perry opportunities to take fresh shots at his opponent.
But the ad, accompanied by robo-calls to GOP primary voters that push the same message, could be another misstep. GOP strategists and political observers pointed out that Hutchison stays entirely negative in the message and never gives a reason she wants to be GOV.
"There is no real positive message here. The ad is about two things: What she's not going to do, and what she's not going to support," said John Pitney, a political scientist at Claremont McKenna College. "Fine, but what is her plan for Texas? What would she do about health care at the state and national levels?"
(REID WILSON)
Continue reading "Hutchison's First Ad: An Explanation" »
DCCC chair Chris Van Hollen has made preparations to avoid a repeat of the GOP sweep of '94, arguing that political observers who say Dems are in for big losses are premature.
"It's going to be competitive, but this is not going to be a 1994 redux," Van Hollen told Hotline OnCall. "We're doing things that are within our control. Now, obviously if you have a super-wave election, that makes it more difficult, but a lot of these elections are decided at the margins."
Not that the '94 wave hasn't been on Dems' minds: Early this year, Van Hollen sat down with ex-Reps. Vic Fazio (D-CA) and Martin Frost (D-TX), two members deeply involved in the '94 elections, to try and learn lessons from that year in order to avoid a repeat.
"We had a thorough discussion to try to learn the lessons," Van Hollen said of the meeting. "They weren't prepared. A lot of people were in denial as late as August, September."
But Van Hollen said danger could lurk if turnout is low, factors that hurt Dem GOV candidates in NJ and VA this year. The DCCC has been working closely with the White House and Organizing for America, Pres. Obama's political organization, to mobilize the voters who showed up last year.
"If you were to see the kind of turnout in the Congressional elections of 2010 that you saw in these off-year elections in Virginia and New Jersey, that would spell trouble," he said. "But there's no reason to believe that we're going to have that kind of turnout, because voters who came out to support Obama will understand that ... he has a huge stake."
(REID WILSON)
Continue reading "Van Hollen Says Preparation Will Avoid '94 Repeat" »
The electorate is more likely to blame Dems for the economic recession in the latest sign that the '10 midterms could greatly benefit the GOP.
A new CNN/Opinion Research Corp. poll shows 38% of Americans blame GOPers for economic problems, down 15 points from a May survey. Dems are fingered by 27% of respondents, up 6 points from May.
What's more, even after the $787B stimulus measure, 63% of voters said Pres. Obama has either worsened or had no effect on economic conditions, while 36% say he has improved the economy.
Dems have signaled they will continue to pin the blame on ex-Pres. Bush for the country's bad economic shape. In an interview with Hotline OnCall, DSCC chairman Bob Menendez said his party needs to remind voters how bad the crisis was when Pres. Obama took office, even though unemployment has jumped to more than 10%.
"We will remind people both who bequeathed to the country the hard economic situation we have and who was in power when premiums for insurance purposes went out of the roof and insurance companies were allowed to deny with impugnity," Menendez said. "It will be a clear contrast."
But Bush is no longer in office, and GOPers scoff at the notion that he will play anywhere near the role he played in hurting their party in the '06 and '08 elections. Instead, party strategists point to Obama's approval rating as the key to their success. Some GOP pollsters are already telling their clients to cast the economy as Obama's fault.
(REID WILSON)
Continue reading "Blame For Recession Shifting To Dems?" »
"World News" led with the Ft. Hood investigation. "Evening News" led with health care. "Nightly News" led with Treas. Sec. Tim Geithner's Cong. testimony.
Pols discussed Geithner's job performance 11/19 p.m.
Rep. Kevin Brady (R-TX), on whether he expected it go get so "nasty": "No, I didn't. But, the truth is, sort of tired of blaming Bush for everyone. At some point, this White House has to take responsibility for its own decisions. These policies are failing. The public has no confidence anymore. In fact, a majority of Americans disapprove of the way the president is handling the economy. I think the best thing that could happen is for Geithner to step down. And there's more Democrats joining us in that cause."
Brady, on Geithner's involvement in the bailout prior to taking office: "I think he tries to paper over that pretty quickly. He was Fed governor of New York. Wall Street was his purview. His district, his position, on his watch with his friends. And he had key roles to play in the bailouts from day one. So, again, another reason why the tired excuse of blaming it on Bush, well, it is not me that is not buying it. It is the American public is not buying it" ("Your World," FNC, 11/19).
More Brady, on who he would choose to replace Geithner: "My choice would be a conservative Republican who would let the free market work, would address the financial crisis not from a spending binge, but to get our financial house in order. And the credit for small businesses and mid-sized businesses, it is frozen. And I'll tell you, too, local businesses, small and large, they're deferring their key business decisions because they're frightened of what's happening in Washington, D.C." ("Ed Show," MSNBC, 11/19).
After the jump, more on Geithner, Senators address health care reform and ex-AK Gov. Sarah Palin's (R) book tour continues.
(RACHELLE DOUILLARD-PROULX & ABBY LIVINGSTON)
Continue reading "Hotline After Dark -- When I Listen To Him, All I Hear Is Blah Blah Blah" »
The NRCC spent more money than it took in last month, thanks to nearly $900K the committee spent on the unsuccessful effort to win a special election in NY.
The NRCC raised $3.4M in Oct. but spent $3.6M as well. The committee spent $897K on independent expenditures blasting now-Rep. Bill Owens (D) in his race against Assemb. Dede Scozzafava and Conservative Party nominee Doug Hoffman.
House GOPers have $4.2M cash on hand and retain a debt of $2M.
The DCCC declined to provide their monthly fundraising totals early Friday. Reports are due today, and the committee is still crunching numbers.
But Dems will have a significant advantage in the money chase. Through the end of Sept., the DCCC had $14.7M in the bank and about $4M in debt. Dems spent a little over $1.1M on Owens' behalf, according to independent expenditure reports.
(REID WILSON)
Good Friday morning. Who's excited for the big Redskins-Cowboys showdown this weekend? With an 11-point line favoring Dallas, we're guessing not Redskins fans.
Here's Hotline OnCall's Starting Lineup on a clear blue Friday, the people who will make news today:
SEN. MARY LANDRIEU: The LA Dem has emerged as perhaps the most important vote in the Senate ahead of the rare weekend session. With Sen. Maj. Leader Harry Reid's decision to hold a key test vote Saturday p.m., Dems need all 60 members to move forward to a debate, and Landrieu and fellow centrists Ben Nelson (D-NE) and Blanche Lincoln (D-AR) are getting pressure from all sides as they contemplate their vote. But unlike Nelson and Lincoln, who have made positive but noncommittal statements in the last several days, Landrieu has actually said she is considering voting no.
So, what will Reid and the admin do to win her vote? How about $100M to plug holes in LA's Medicaid insurance program? That little treat is included in Reid's bill, the Baton Rouge Advocate notes. That's not the only pressure she will get: VP Biden, who has spent time on the Hill this week, will be making calls today as well.
Overlooked in the debate: Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-CT), who says he will filibuster final passage if it has a public option, and Sens. Olympia Snowe (R-ME) and Susan Collins (R-ME). Reid said 11/19 he's had recent conversations with both of the GOP centrists, he told MSNBC's First Read.
(REID WILSON)
Continue reading "Friday's Starting Lineup" »
Former NYC Mayor Rudy Giuliani has not decided whether to run for Gov or Senate, contrary to earlier reports.
Spokesperson Maria Comella, in a statement emailed to reporters, dismisses a New York Times report that Giuliani will not run against Gov. David Paterson (D) and a New York Daily News report that he will run against Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D) as premature.
"Rudy has a history of making up his own mind and has no problem speaking it. When Mayor Giuliani makes a decision about serving in public office, he will inform New Yorkers on his own," Comella said.
Continue reading "Giuliani Update: No Decision Yet" »
FL Gov. Charlie Crist (R) leads ex-state House Speaker Marco Rubio by 10 points, down sharply from the huge advantage Crist held just a few months ago.
According to a new poll from the independent firm Research 2000, conducted for the liberal DailyKos blog, Crist holds a 47% to 37% lead over Rubio. Rubio has attacked Crist from the right, blasting him for not opposing the economic stimulus package earlier this year.
Crist has a wide edge among women voters, but he leads by just 3 points among men. It is the first time DailyKos has polled FL since February, when Crist led a three-person field with 57%; in that survey, Rubio took just 4%.
Now, in general election matchups against Rep. Kendrick Meek (D), Crist leads by a whopping 50% to 33% margin. Meek leads Rubio by a narrower 38% to 30% margin.
Continue reading "Rubio Down 10 To Crist" »
Earlier today, we said that VA Gov./DNC chair Tim Kaine was going to have a hard time outraising the RNC this month.
Well, he did. Kaine and the DNC raised $11.5M in October, nearly $3M more than the RNC's $8.8M month.
A party source tells OnCall the DNC will file reports tonight or tomorrow showing $12.3M cash on hand and $4.4M in debt. Meanwhile, the RNC has $11.2M in the bank and no debt.
The good month for Dems significantly reduces the gap between the RNC and the DNC. So far this year, the RNC has raised $69.2M to the DNC's $66.3M.
Both parties claim to have set a record for monthly fundraising totals in an off-year.
(REID WILSON)
Several supporters of ex-Sen. John Edwards (D-NC) have agreed to pay the FEC $131K in fines stemming from Edwards' 2004 pres. bid.
Geoffrey Fieger, the former attorney for Dr. Jack Kevorkian and the '98 Dem nominee for governor in MI, and law partner Vernon Johnson agreed to the fines after a criminal investigation by the Justice Department. DoJ was probing whether the two and their law firm had illegally reimbursed individuals who gave to Edwards' campaign.
The FEC found that the pair and their company used corporate funds to reimburse donors to another committee controlled by Edwards. Several purported donors allowed their names to be used when, in fact, others were giving Edwards money.
Edwards himself was not accused of wrongdoing in the matter. But a grand jury is still investigating whether Edwards and several backers used campaign money to keep an affair out of the news.
The grand jury has heard testimony from Rielle Hunter, the woman with whom Edwards had an affair, as well as Andrew Young, a former campaign aide. No charges have been filed.
(REID WILSON)
As centrist Senate Dems study Sen. Maj. Leader Harry Reid's health care bill, some liberal groups are unhappy at some of the bill's provisions.
AFL-CIO Pres. Richard Trumka praised Reid's bill as the "strongest steps yet" toward bringing down the cost. But, he said, the bill still includes an excise tax that would hit expensive health care plans, including many that cover union workers.
"We continue to believe that a tax on working families' benefits is the wrong way to finance health care and we will work hard to eliminate this provision as the bill heads to the floor," Trumka said in a statement. "[T]he bill is not perfect."
Some liberal bloggers, too, expressed disappointment. In a statement posted on the popular FireDogLake blog, Jane Hamsher called it "encouraging" that Reid included the public option but criticized an opt-out provision that would let states drop the public plan.
Continue reading "Liberal Groups Wary Of Reid Bill" »
UPDATED 4:42 PM: Check out our updated post on Rudy's political future here.
UPDATED 3:04 PM
Former NYC Mayor Rudy Giuliani (R) will not run for NY Gov after pondering the decision for months, sources have told the New York Times.
The two-term mayor, who ran a failed bid for pres. in '08, had considered a challenge to Gov. David Paterson (D) -- a race polls showed him leading by wide margins.
But the race would have been much more difficult for Giuliani had he faced AG Andrew Cuomo (D), who is reportedly taking the initial steps to run. Where Paterson is viewed unfavorably by a large portion of the state, Cuomo is seen favorably by the majority of voters.
Giuliani's decision leaves ex-Rep. Rick Lazio (R) as the sole major candidate on the GOP side. Polls also show Lazio leading Paterson, though Cuomo easily beats the former congressman.
Giuliani has been urged to run against Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D), who was appointed to fill Sec/State Hillary Clinton's post, but former aides say Giuliani is not drawn to the Senate.
Still, the New York Daily News reported this afternoon that Giuliani will run against Gillibrand. That report remains unconfirmed.
(REID WILSON)
It's a boon for opposition researchers as AG Eric Holder's decision to bring terrorism suspects to trial in NYC has both parties backpeddling on previous statements.
A Dem source passes along statements from Sens. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) and Jeff Sessions (R-AL) praising earlier terrorist trials in the U.S. Both members of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Sessions and Graham spent 11/18 blasting Holder at a Capitol Hill hearing.
Graham, a member of the House in '02, "was pleased with the apparent decision to seek the death penalty for Zacarias Moussaoui," a press release from his office said at the time.
Meanwhile, Sessions told Gannett he backed trying Moussaoui in federal court in Northern Virginia. "'(The White House) probably thought it might be good to try this one in public," he said.
Continue reading "Holder Decision Catches Parties In Jam" »
The field appears set in NH after a potential challenger decided not to run for retiring Sen. Judd Gregg's (R-NH) seat, with both Dems and GOPers cautiously optimistic about their chances.
Businessman Sean Mahoney, the RNC national committeeman from the Granite State, said he would not run. That leaves former AG Kelly Ayotte facing attorney Ovide Lamontagne and businessmen Bill Binnie and Jim Bender seeking the GOP nod. Dems have cleared the field for Rep. Paul Hodes.
The NRSC has not formally gotten involved, but few in DC have made any secret about their preference in the race. Ayotte has attended several fundraisers with leading senators, including Sen. Min. Leader Mitch McConnell, NRSC chair John Cornyn and Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.).
Ayotte is positioning herself as a mainstream conservative, while her opponents seek different niches within the GOP base. Lamontagne has sought to portray himself as the true conservative alternative, and his allies have questioned Ayotte's firmness on key parts of the GOP platform. Meanwhile, Binnie is running to Ayotte's left and Bender is a tax and term-limit advocate.
Continue reading "Mahoney Out, Field Set (?) In NH" »
DSCC chair Bob Menendez (D-NJ) said voters will still blame Pres. Bush for hard economic times, and that what he cast as obstructionism will compound the GOP's woes next year.
"The goal for us next year is to clearly not allow that the election be about Democrats being the only one on the ballot, it will be Democrats and Republicans who will be on the ballot," Menendez said.
"It will be a clear contrast," he added. "We will remind people both who bequeathed to the country the hard economic situation we have and who was in power when premiums for insurance purposes went out of the roof and insurance companies were allowed to deny with impugnity."
Meanwhile, GOPers are too reliant on fringe groups like the so-called birther movement, which believes Pres. Obama is not eligible to hold the WH, he said. Those right-wing groups are still angry at DC, Menendez said, and they are impacting GOP primaries around the nation.
Continue reading "Menendez Aims For "Clear Contrast" With GOP" »
UPDATED 9:45 A.M.
The NRCC will launch a tiny round of new television ads against three Dems this week in an early indication of the argument the GOP will make while criticizing the health care bill.
The ads, targeting Reps. Earl Pomeroy (D-ND), Vic Snyder (D-AR) and John Spratt (D-SC), will cite another Dem -- conservative Rep. Dan Boren (D-OK) -- who opposed the health care bill.
"The worst thing we could do during a recession is raise taxes, and this bill does just that," Boren said in his statement explaining his opposition to the bill. The NRCC included Boren's words in their spot hitting Pomeroy.
The NRCC's ads are notable for two reasons: First, the GOP is previewing the thrust it will make against Dems on the health care bill, citing taxes and the Dems who acknowledged them on the floor. By running the ads now, when the debate is still raging, the GOP takes advantage of a skeptical public that may have moved on to other issues once the bill lands on Pres. Obama's desk.
Second, all three members are entrenched incumbents. Snyder is the newest member; he will run for an 8th term in '10. Pomeroy will run for a 9th term, and if Spratt is re-elected, he will serve his 15th term. NRCC chair Pete Sessions has made noise about going places GOPers hadn't bothered to contest lately, and he is putting his money where his mouth is early in the cycle.
The ads will run for a week. Ken Spain, the NRCC's communications director, declined to discuss how big the advertising buy is. But a Dem source says the buy is just $6,300 -- 35 gross rating points (GRPs) in Charlotte, 55 GRPs in Little Rock and 50 GRPs in Minot, ND. The ads are only running on Fox News.
The DCCC and the NRCC routinely monitor each other's ad buys. Such a small investment can be used to earn media; local papers cover the ads, which can be more valuable than the ads themselves. Purchasing 2,000 GRPs is saturation-level, meaning half the daily audience watching Fox News in Pomeroy's district, for example, will see the NRCC's advertisement once.
Spain disputed the exact numbers but still would not discuss the exact size of the buy.
"Given the NRCC's embarrassing defeat in NY-23 where they spent nearly a million dollars on a candidate that ultimately dropped out, this wouldn't be the first or the last time the NRCC flushed its money down the toilet," DCCC spokesman Ryan Rudominer said.
(REID WILSON)
"World News" led with changes in breast cancer screenings. "Evening News" led with and "Nightly News" led with changes in breast cancer screenings and featured interviews with Pres. Obama and HHS Sec. Kathleen Sebelius.
Ex-AK Gov. Sarah Palin (R) continued her book tour last p.m. on "Hannity."
Palin, on whether Ft. Hood was "an act of terrorism": "I certainly do, and I think that there were massive warning flags that were missed all over the place. And I think it was quite unfortunate that, to me, it was a fear of being politically incorrect, to not -- I'm going to use the word -- profile this guy, profile in the sense of finding out what his radical beliefs were. Simple things like looking at the business card that had the secret code word for who it was."
More Palin: "Now because I used the word 'profile,' I'm going to get clobbered tomorrow morning. The liberals, their heads are just going to be spinning. They're going to say, 'She is radical. She is extreme.' But I think profiling in the context of doing whatever we can to save innocent American lives, I'm all for it then."
Palin, on her future: "You're going to hear a lot from me. So you know, the haters are going to have a whole lot of material. Tina Fey, she may have a whole lot of material coming up" (FNC, 11/18).
After the jump, a reaction to Palin, the latest in health care and FNC interviews Obama.
(RACHELLE DOUILLARD-PROULX & ABBY LIVINGSTON)
Continue reading "Hotline After Dark -- Profile Is Courage? " »
Ex-HP CEO Carly Fiorina (R), a top surrogate for and advisor to Sen. John McCain's presidential run, says she never met vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin during the campaign.
"I have not met her," Fiorina told reporters 11/18 at a DC hotel. "But I defended her against what I thought was sexist treatment when it occurred. I will defend any woman against sexist treatment when I think it's occurring."
In her first visit to DC since announcing her candidacy two weeks ago, Fiorina has been drumming up GOP support, holding a fundraiser 11/17 p.m. attended by 15 GOP sens. "from [Tom] Coburn to [Olympia] Snowe." She also met with conservative groups including Americans for Tax Reform.
As one of several GOPers facing potentially bloody primary battles in '10, Fiorina must walk a fine line between courting the conservative base and appealing to indies. And Palin, embarking on a closely-watched book tour this week, is becoming a key figure in that intra-party conflict.
Continue reading "Fiorina Says She Never Met Palin" »
Good Thursday morning. If you haven't left your house in DC yet, wear a heavier coat.
Here's OnCall's Starting Lineup, the people on the hotseat today:
SENATE DEMS: Sen. Maj. Leader Harry Reid is a happy man this morning after the CBO scored his bill well below the House Dems' version and below the upper limit for which Pres. Obama said he was aiming. The measure will move to the floor later this week for key test votes and, if Reid convinces his moderates to follow, debate.
But those moderates are the ones who will matter over the next several days. Sens. Ben Nelson (D-NE), Mary Landrieu (D-LA) and Blanche Lincoln (D-AR) have not committed to voting for the bill, and they are facing intense pressure from supporters and opponents at home. Yesterday, all three met with Reid before the scores were released, and Lincoln sat down with VP Biden at the Capitol.
One issue: Abortion provisions, which are not quite the same as the Stupak Amendment in the House but represent what Nelson called a "good faith effort" at a compromise. And Nelson, in a statement yesterday, sounds like he is already justifying his vote for cloture. That's a good sign for Reid.
Continue reading "Thursday's Starting Lineup" »
The NRSC outraised the DSCC in October, bringing in about a quarter of a million dollars more than their rivals.
The NRSC raised $4 million last month, leaving them with $5.8 million in the bank. The committee has no debt.
But the DSCC is winning the race for cash on hand, keeping $11.3 million in reserve after raising $3.72 million last month. After spending heavily to increase their majority to 60 seats in '08, the DSCC has just over $2 million left to pay off creditors.
Both committees have bested their hauls from previous cycles. The DSCC and the NRSC each outperformed their monthly totals for Oct. '07 and Oct. 05.
Continue reading "NRSC Beats DSCC In Oct. Fundraising" »
Barely a year after their quadrennial conventions concluded, the DNC and the RNC are already beginning to look for cities to host the '12 version.
The process began earlier this year when both committees sent letters to cities inviting them to apply, sources in both parties said. And though no one is rushing to make a selection just yet, several areas have already expressed interest.
Introductory letters included requirements for the minimum number of hotel rooms, convention space and other parameters cities must meet if they are to be included. The RNC invited about 30 cities to attend, and while the DNC would not give a specific number, the party is likely to have settled largely on the same list as GOPers.
Continue reading "Parties Already Shopping For Convention Sites" »
NRCC chair Pete Sessions (R-TX) wants to take advantage of what GOPers see as an historic opportunity next year, meaning his committee is aiming to recruit candidates in every district in the country.
"We think a broad brush approach is really going to result because of the environment that's out there," Sessions said in an interview. "We want to have 435 Congressional districts where Republicans are playing in."
Already, the NRCC is touting the prospects of 65 strong recruits, 51 of whom have more than $100K in the bank so far. By contrast, Sessions said, two-thirds of the GOPers who won seats in 1994 had not entered the race by the previous year's governors races, putting the NRCC ahead of that year's pace.
And Sessions is aiming for many of the same non-traditional types of candidates as found success 15 years ago, when many of the first-term members of Congress had not held political office before. This year, more than 150 candidates who have never run for office are running for Congress as GOPers.
Continue reading "Sessions Pursuing "Broad Brush" Approach" »
GOP voters are more likely to agree with Sen. Jim DeMint (R-SC) than with those who say they want to broaden the party, according to a new poll.
The CNN/Opinion Research Corp. survey shows 51% of GOP voters would prefer a candidate who agrees on major issues even if that candidate has little chance to beat a Dem, while 43% prefer candidates who don't agree on some major issues but who stand a strong chance of beating a Dem.
DeMint, who is gaining credibility as one of the major voices in the conservative movement, has said he would rather serve in a minority that agrees with him than a majority that includes more centrist members.
Continue reading "GOP Voters Take A Page From DeMint" »
"World News" led with changes in breast cancer screenings and featured an interview with ex-AK Gov. Sarah Palin (R). "Evening News" led with Obama's trip to China. "Nightly News" led with changes in breast cancer screenings.
Palin discussed foreign affairs and the economy with ABC's Barbara Walters in an interview that aired 11/17.
Palin, on Israeli settlement freezes: "I disagree with the Obama administration on that. I believe that the Jewish settlements should be allowed to be expanded upon because that population of Israel is going to grow. More and more Jewish people will be flocking to Israel in the days and weeks and months ahead. And I don't think the Obama administration has any right to tell Israel that the Jewish settlements cannot expand."
Palin, on this stance, even if these are Palestinian lands: "I believe that Jewish settlements should be allowed to expand" ("World News," 11/17).
Palin, on what U.S. goals in Afghanistan should be: "To listen to McChrystal, to listen to the appointee that President Obama asked for, the advice from McChrystal gave the president advice and said, 'We need the essentially a surge strategy in Afghanistan so we can win in Afghanistan.' That means more resources, more troops there. It frustrates me and frightens me and many Americans that President Obama is dithering around with the decision in Afghanistan."
After the jump, more Palin, Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX) on her decision to stay in the Senate and talk about the FL GOP primary.
(RACHELLE DOUILLARD-PROULX & ABBY LIVINGSTON)
Continue reading "Hotline After Dark -- The New Wonkette " »
Rep. Joseph Cao (R-LA) is finding allies in strange places as Dem-leaning organizations thank him for being the lone GOPer to back health care reform.
Americans United for Change has already launched an advertisement thanking Cao for joining 219 Dems last weekend, and the organization -- in conjunction with AFSCME -- will launch another ad on his behalf, a source tells OnCall.
The new ad, set to begin later this week, is part of a wave of spots defending 13 potentially vulnerable incumbents after they voted for the House health care measure. The groups will spend millions in an effort to counteract negative ads being run in those districts by the Chamber of Commerce and another business group that opposes the reform package.
Continue reading "Dem Groups Aiding Cao" »
Good Wednesday morning. Jon Stewart, previewing his interview last night by making light of VP Biden's legendary verbosity: "I should tell you, you can watch the entire interview on the web, if you know what I mean. It's only a 22-minute show."
Here are the people to watch, OnCall's Starting Lineup, for Wednesday, 11/18:
AG ERIC HOLDER: The week after Holder announced terrorists held in Guantanamo Bay would be transfered to NYC for trials, and after IL Gov. Pat Quinn (D) signaled a maximum-security prison on the western side of the state could hold more terrorism suspects, the AG will testify about the decision before the Sen Jud Committee. Holder can expect harsh questioning from Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-AL), the ranking member, and Sens. Jon Kyl (R-AZ), Lindsey Graham (R-SC) and John Cornyn (R-TX).
In a round of interviews aired 11/17 from China, Pres. Obama backed his AG, calling it a "fundamental mistake" to assume that terrorists will be given a new platform from which to spew their rhetoric. But polls show most Americans are not yet on board, making the move Holder's -- and perhaps the entire admin's -- biggest gamble to date.
Continue reading "Wednesday's Starting Lineup" »
In an exclusive interview 11/17, RNC chair Michael Steele said he thinks voters still see a party in the process of rebuilding, though it is his job to try and change that view.
"I think they see some of the old vestiges of a party still kind of looking inward," Steele said Tuesday. "I'd like to see people focus on what we've accomplished despite the odds and despite the hot rhetoric about the 'days of the party are over' and all that good stuff."
For Steele, who had a difficult tenure at the RNC during his first several months, the job has been to take a party headed in the wrong direction and turn it around. But for an organization that had spent $54 million through September, that has not been easy.
"I don't know if you've ever tried to turn an elephant, but that's basically what this job is. It is trying to reorient our vision towards the future," Steele said. "It is being the political arm for our policy makers in the House and Senate and our governors. It is being the activist arm for everybody who self-identifies with the party, wherever they are on the political spectrum, and it is providing the resources, not just dollars - it's organization, it's infrastructure, it's manpower - it's all the things that are going to be necessary to turn that elephant."
Continue reading "Steele: GOP Still Seen As Looking Inward" »
A GOP congressional candidate said Tuesday that by bringing terrorists to U.S. soil, Dems are handing al Qaeda a "significant victory."
Dirk Beveridge, a business consultant running against Rep. Melissa Bean (D) in suburban Chicago, said in a statement Tuesday that possible plans to bring detainees at Guantanamo Bay to a maximum-security prison in western Illinois amounts to an insult to American troops.
"Providing foreign terrorists the privilege and benefits of our great U.S. judiciary system, is an insult to tax-paying citizens and a slap in the face of our soldiers who risked their lives at the hands of these terrorists, on our behalf," Beveridge says in the statement. A quote atop the release reads: "The Democrats are handing Al Qaeda a significant victory."
Continue reading "GOPer: Dems Give Al Qaeda "Significant Victory"" »
State Sen. Sam Caligiuri (R) is considering a run against Rep. Chris Murphy (D-CT 05) after struggling to stand out in a crowded CT SEN race.
With ex-Rep. Rob Simmons (R) leading the polls, and with WWF ex-CEO Linda McMahon (R) and ex-Ambassador Peter Foley (R) airing TV ads, there is very little room for Caligiuri to operate in the SEN race.
Continue reading "Sam The Man In CT-05?" »
Buffeted by weeks of negative press and a newly threatening rival from the right, FL Gov. Charlie Crist's (R) campaign will step up direct engagements with his opponent, insiders tell OnCall.
Crist will attack former FL House Speaker Marco Rubio (R), citing his rival's failure to advance some conservative causes while leading the state House, for spending excessively while in the Speaker's office and for dragging his feet on immigration legislation that many Republicans favored.
"We're now running a campaign, and it's one where this campaign will aggressively talk about the governor and his record and his vision heading to Washington as a candidate for the Senate, and we will aggressively talk to voters about our opponent's record, a record that was eight years in the state legislature, a record that has not been discussed to date," said Eric Eikenberg, Crist's new campaign manager.
Continue reading "Crist To Engage Rubio" »
Sarah Palin wants you to buy her book -- but if you donate $100 to her PAC, she'll give you an autographed copy.
In an email to supporters Tuesday morning, Palin dedicates her book to her base, "to Patriots - who fight for freedom!" Palin sticks to conservative themes, invoking Ronald Reagan as the country's economic savior.
But the pitch also makes a poignant case to women, many of whom are most drawn to the former AK Gov. "Please stand with us today. We won't let anyone tell us to sit down and shut up," Palin writes.
It's a pitch her biography lets her make with credibility. While only 43% of Americans have a favorable view of her, a majority of white suburban women do, according to a Washington Post/ABC News poll released Monday.
Continue reading "Palin Selling Book For PAC Donations" »
