Health Care

Report: Baucus to Release Health Care Plan as Early as Tomorrow

Brian Beutler | September 4, 2009, 6:21PM

Sen. Max Baucus (D-MT)

With the White House stepping in to take control of the health care debate out of the hands of bipartisan health care negotiators, Sen. Max Baucus (D-MT), chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, seemingly realizes it's time to put up or shut up.

In a Friday afternoon conference call, Baucus told the so-called Gang of Six that he'd be releasing a plan very soon, according to Politico--perhaps as early as tomorrow.

The White House is reportedly working on a bill of its own, amid negotiations with the gang of six's most moderate Republican, Sen. Olympia Snowe (R-ME). And though the administration's plans to introduce it aren't final, Baucus seems to have gotten the message and could unveil his committee's bill sooner than expected. If that happens, it'll be interesting to see if the draft lands with a splash or a thud.

Health Care

Obama Asks Liberals How Far They're Willing to Compromise on Public Option

Brian Beutler | September 4, 2009, 5:58PM

A variety of reports suggest that, during a conference call this afternoon, President Obama probed House progressives to see just how flexible their demands are.

A source familiar with the call tells TPM that Obama asked the group to define their red line when they talk about a "robust public option."

NBC reports that Obama reminded the group that they enjoy the security of representing safely Democratic districts.

And progressive caucus co-chair Raul Grijalva (D-AZ) told Greg Sargent that Obama outright asked the participants how far they're willing to compromise on the public option.

All in all it appears very much as if the President is feeling out how willing House Democrats will be to support a bill that falls short of meeting their earlier demands for a Medicare-like public option available to consumers nation-wide, without any triggers. As I reported earlier today, Obama's set to meet with progressive House leaders Tuesday ahead of his big health care speech before Congress. That's shaping up to be an extremely crucial meeting.

NJ-GOV

Christie Caught In Apparent Lie About 2002 Traffic Accident, Lawsuit

Eric Kleefeld | September 4, 2009, 5:56PM

NJ Gov. Chris Christie (R)

Republican former U.S. Attorney Chris Christie, currently a candidate for Governor of New Jersey, was just caught in an apparent lie about a 2002 car accident in which he struck a motorcyclist after turning the wrong way onto a one-way street.

New Jersey public television's Zachary Fink reports:

We asked Christie about the accident in Atlantic City Friday and he was very curt with his answers. NJN South Jersey Bureau Chief Kent St. John asked if there was a lawsuit. Christie said "no" then "nope."

But actually there was. According to the Superior Court Record Center in Trenton, Mendonca filed suit in 2004. The complaint filed in Essex County was later dismissed, indicating (according to the Clerk) an out of court settlement.

As we've reported, Christie was on the way to an official function in 2002 when he turned the wrong way onto the one-way street. He then hit the motorcyclist, who was taken to a hospital. Before the revelations of the lawsuit, the incident had gained attention because Christie was not ticketed for the incident despite turning onto the one-way street.

Christie did identify himself as the U.S. attorney to the officer at the scene.

NJ-GOV

More Details Emerge From Christie 2002 Car Accident

Eric Kleefeld | September 4, 2009, 5:45PM

NJ Gov. Chris Christie (R)

I have now reviewed the police report from Republican former U.S. Attorney Chris Christie's car accident in 2002, when the then-U.S. Attorney and current nominee for Governor of New Jersey struck a motorcyclist while going the wrong direction on a one-way street in Elizabeth, New Jersey.

As the Star-Ledger reported, the accident happened when Christie was on his way to attend the swearing-in of the Union County prosecutor in Elizabeth, when he hit motorcyclist Andrew Mendonca.

From the police report:

Veh #1 [Christie] states he was traveling west on Murray St. and was lost. He reached Chilton St. The light was red so he inched forward attempting to make a right on red but never saw the one-way traffic sign. He then stopped upon observing oncoming traffic, Veh #2 [Mendonca] also braked. The motorcycle fell on its side and slid into his vehicle. Veh #2 states he was traveling on Chilton St. when Veh #1 turned in front of him.

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Health Care

Report: White House Drafting its Own Health Care Bill

Brian Beutler | September 4, 2009, 4:12PM

We know that the White House has been in deep health care negotiations with Sen. Olympia Snowe (R-ME), who they hope will be the 60th vote needed to overcome a filibuster. Now, it seems, the administration is drafting its own legislation--presumably influenced by those negotiations--to be introduced sometime after the President's health care speech, to be delivered Wednesday before a joint session of Congress.

According to CNN:

Multiple sources close to the process [say] that while the plan is uncertain, they are preparing for the possibility they could deliver their own legislation to Capitol Hill sometime after the President Barack Obama's speech to a joint session of Congress Wednesday.

As always, it's worth cautioning that the situation is fluid. But as I noted earlier, the White House's preference seems to be to work with Snowe to craft a bill that can squeak by in the Senate. That package--which will presumably lack a robust public option, or will attach it to a trigger--will have to be sold to House progressives, who have loudly objected to the idea of compromising on that point.

For more on the menu of options before the White House, see here.

Health Care

Clyburn: We Should Compromise on Public Option

Brian Beutler | September 4, 2009, 3:59PM

Rep. James Clyburn (D-SC)

The influential House Majority Whip James Clyburn (D-SC) says Democrats should accept a compromise--perhaps temporarily--over the public option.

"We ought to set up some pilot programs regionally around the country," Clyburn told McClatchy. "What you're trying to do is find out what works and what doesn't work."

According to McClatchy, "After a four-year limited trial run, Clyburn said, the federal health-care coverage would be expanded only if it doesn't drive up costs and prompt companies to stop providing private insurance, as Republican opponents have claimed a nationwide public option would do."

The idea, which Clyburn has proposed to the White House, would serve as something of a compromise between a public option and a public option affixed to a trigger--to plant the seeds of a public option in regions around the country, but not take it nation-wide until a later date, if cost savings and coverage expansions went unrealized.

Health Care

With Reform in Jeopardy, and Progressives Restless, Obama Weighs His Options

Brian Beutler | September 4, 2009, 1:55PM

President Barack Obama and Sen. Olympia Snowe (R-ME)

After nearly 48 hours of trial balloons and kabuki theater, it seems pretty clear that the White House is focusing its attentions on a couple different potential paths forward for health care reform.

The first, and seemingly preferred, idea is to court Sen. Olympia Snowe (R-ME), give her tremendous say in the shape of legislation, and then, if that's good enough to get 60 votes in the Senate, pressure House progressives to hold their noses and go along with it. It wouldn't be pretty though. Snowe's preferred approach appears to be a 'trigger' for a public option -- implementing a public option only if insurance companies are unable to rein in costs and expand coverage by a certain fixed date. And House progressives have really put themselves on the line for a public option free from any trigger mechanism.

If that strategy fails at any point along the road, the White House could still turn to the Democrat-only strategy of passing reform (or at least, many elements of reform) through the filibuster-proof budget reconciliation process. Just yesterday, former Senate Majority Leader and current White House ally Tom Daschle wrote in the Wall Street Journal "should Republican intransigence continue, [Democrats] must focus on the budgetary implications of health reform and use the Senate rules of budget reconciliation to allow a health-care bill [to] move with majority support. The choice between complete legislative failure and majority rule should not pose a dilemma for any Democratic senator."

That's an important tell.

Read more »

Michele Bachmann

Bachmann: Dems Are Sabotaging Me Because I Might Become President

Rachel Slajda | September 4, 2009, 1:50PM

Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN)

Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN) finally explained yesterday why Democrats don't want her in office: They're scared she'll become the first female president.

"They want to make sure no women, no woman becomes president before a Democrat woman," Bachmann said, "and so they're doing everything they can to, I think, sabotage women like Sarah Palin, perhaps women like myself, or similarly situated women, to make sure that we don't have a prominent national voice."

Bachmann was speaking on Mike Gallagher's radio show.

Bachmann recently said she would run for president, but only if God told her to.

MA-SEN

Rep. Lynch Takes Out Nomination Papers For Kennedy's Seat

Rachel Slajda | September 4, 2009, 1:39PM

Rep. Stephen Lynch (D-MA)

A representative for Rep. Stephen Lynch (D-MA) took out nomination papers today to run for the Senate seat vacated by Ted Kennedy.

A spokesman for the Massachusetts secretary of state confirmed to the that someone from Lynch's office picked up the papers.

Lynch's spokeswoman wasn't immediately available for comment.

If Lynch runs, he'll be campaigning against Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley, who announced yesterday she's running for Kennedy's seat. The primary is scheduled for Dec. 8, and the election for Jan. 19.

The secretary of state's office told the Globe several other lesser-known people have taken out papers.

Ben Nelson

Nelson: "Government Approach" Will Make Health Care Reform "Implode"

Brian Beutler | September 4, 2009, 9:38AM

Sen. Ben Nelson (D-NE)

Via Greg Sargent, Sen. Ben Nelson (D-NE)--one of the Senate's perennial "centrists"--is staking clearer ground on the question of the public option. Asked by the Lincoln Journal-Star to look into the future a bit, Nelson said "I see two endings. One is we find areas we can agree upon and we begin to do things incrementally, taking more of an insurance approach, not a government approach. Or it implodes."

In the days leading up to the President's big Wednesday health care reform speech it will be crucial to keep an eye on how conservative Dems position, or reposition themselves. House progressives are renewing their insistence on a public option, and pressuring on the White House to stand with them. Democratic opponents of the public option, however, have yet to take such a firm stance.

NJ-GOV

Christie Hit Motorcyclist With Car In 2002, Wasn't Ticketed

Eric Kleefeld | September 4, 2009, 9:36AM

NJ Gov. Chris Christie (R)

The plot just keep getting thicker and thicker for former U.S. Attorney Chris Christie, the Republican nominee for Governor of New Jersey this year, and his bad driving record: In 2002, the Star-Ledger reports, Christie hit a motorcyclist while driving his car the wrong way on a one-way street -- but was not ticketed.

"This was an unfortunate accident and just like a lot of us, Chris knows he can always be a better driver," campaign spokeswoman Maria Comella told the paper.

Elizabeth Police Director James Cosgrove confirmed to the paper that Christie did identify himself as the U.S. Attorney. The Star-Ledger asked whether Christie's position factored into the officer's decision to not ticket him: "I don't think I want to make that kind of deduction, but I think the facts speak for themselves."

Health Care

A Final Farewell? Gang of Six to Meet Today

Brian Beutler | September 4, 2009, 8:59AM

Sen. Mike Enzi (R-WY)

Most observers--including the White House--consider the bipartisan Gang of Six health care discussions in the Senate Finance Committee to be a lost cause. But nonetheless, the group still plans to meet today to take stock of the (many) developments that have transpired in the two weeks since they last spoke two weeks ago.

Just yesterday, Sen. Mike Enzi (R-WY) released a statement insisting his voice was still relevant to the health care debate. But he also said he expects health care reform to fail, and he recently affirmed the validity of the false "death panel" smear, which dogged the cause of health care reform for much of August.

Assuming the group dissolves--or that Democratic leaders take control of health care legislation out of its hands--the Democrats will have to either win over Sen. Olympia Snowe (R-ME) and pass health care reform on her terms (which would likely mean putting the public option on a "trigger") or they'll have pass what reforms they can via the budget reconciliation process, which involves different procedural hurdles, but which, crucially, can't be filibustered.

Health Care

Hoffa: I Could Accept Reform Without Public Option

Brian Beutler | September 4, 2009, 8:51AM

Teamsters President James P. Hoffa

Two weeks ago, International Brotherhood of Teamsters leader James Hoffa warned Blue Dog Democrats they were making a big mistake by opposing the President's health care reform proposal--and in particular, the public option.

"A lot of these people we supported, and I think they're making a big mistake by not supporting the president," Hoffa told Bill Press

Yesterday, he made a big concession to them, telling Bloomberg that dropping the public option is "not a deal killer."

"We've got to find out what's doable," Hoffa said.

The Teamsters are affiliated with the labor federation Change to Win, which has taken a less aggressive approach to the public option in recent days. AFL-CIO's incoming president Richard Trumka has said his group will oppose health care reform legislation that does not include a public option, and will not support Democrats who oppose the measure.

Health Care

Pelosi: A Bill Without a Strong Public Option Will Not Pass the House

Brian Beutler | September 3, 2009, 6:41PM

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA)

If you weren't already convinced that the House and the Obama administration are on a collision course, you might be now.

The latest statement out of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's office is unequivocal: "A bill without a strong public option will not pass the House," Pelosi said.

Pelosi has said the same thing in the past, but with the fight over the public option reaching a fever pitch--and the White House signaling left and right that they're walking away from it--her renewed insistence is telling, and will no doubt come as encouraging news to progressives.

"If someone has a better idea for promoting competition and reducing health care costs, they should put it on the table," Pelosi said. "Eliminating the public option would be a major victory for the insurance companies who have rationed care, increased premiums and denied coverage."

Earlier today, Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-NY)--a leading public option surrogate--said a health care bill with a public option "trigger" might pass the House. But perhaps he spoke too soon.

You can read the entire statement below the fold.

Read more »

Sherrod Brown

Brown to White House: "Congress is Writing the Bill, the President's Not"

Brian Beutler | September 3, 2009, 6:12PM

Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH)

Despite several indications that the White House will ultimately not go to bat for a public option, Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) says he's seen no signs that the White House will change course--but if they do, he's not budging.

"I know that the White House is debating it internally," Brown said in an interview with TPMDC. "But Congress is writing the bill, the President's not."

"The White House should not take progressives for granted," an animated Brown told me. "It's not just the conservatives he needs to be in the fold. It's the progressives who've been in the vineyards fighting for reform for years."

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NV-SEN

Potential Reid Opponent Lowden Gets Closer To Running

Eric Kleefeld | September 3, 2009, 6:07PM

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV)

Nevada state Republican chairwoman Sue Lowden, who has been viewed as a potential 2010 opponent for Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, has now taken a concrete step towards running: She has announced that she is resigning as state party chair, in order to explore a campaign.

"I've always said that it's one thing to complain, yet entirely different to get in the ring," Lowden said. "Both as a state senator and as party chairman, I have always been willing to put my words to action."

Two recent independent polls have put Lowden ahead of Reid for the general election. Mason-Dixon has put her ahead by 45%-40%, and Daily Kos/Research 2000 gives her a lead of 44%-41%. Lowden faces a Republican primary against Danny Tarkanian, a former UNLV basketball star who has previously run unsuccessfully for state Senate and Nevada Secretary of State.

Health Care

House Progressives and the White House on a Collision Course Over Public Option

Brian Beutler | September 3, 2009, 5:34PM

Reps. Lynn Woolsey (D-CA) and Raul Grijalva (D-AZ), co-chairs of the Congressional Progressive Caucus are laying down a new mark. Though President Obama appears to be laying the groundwork to scrap the public option, and progressives are pessimistic about his upcoming health care speech before Congress, the CPC is digging in on its earlier vow to block health care legislation that does not include a public option, setting the stage for a potential rift in the Democratic party.

"We look forward to meeting with you regarding retaining a robust public option in any final health reform bill and request that that meeting take place as soon as possible," they wrote in a letter to Obama today. "Any bill that does not provide, at a minimum, a public option built on the Medicare provider system and with reimbursement based on Medicare rates--not negotiated rates--is unacceptable."

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Jim Inhofe

Inhofe: "Hope This Country Can Hang On Another 16 Months"

Eric Kleefeld | September 3, 2009, 4:40PM

Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-OK)

Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-OK) had some harsh words for President Obama at a town hall back home in Oklahoma, the Tulsa World reports -- indeed, Inhofe says Obama is doing such a bad job, he's not sure the country will last long enough for when the next Congress is sworn in, in January 2011.

"Every institution that has made this country the greatest nation in the world is under attack," said Inhofe.

And regarding Guantanamo Bay, Inhofe said: "I don't know why President Obama is obsessed with turning terrorists loose in America."

And Inhofe worries for America's future: "Those of you who think like I do, hope this country can hang on another 16 months."

Health Care

Enzi: I Still Matter! Really!!!!

Brian Beutler | September 3, 2009, 4:28PM

Sen. Mike Enzi (R-WY)

Sen. Mike Enzi (R-WY) wants everybody in Washington to know that, though the White House and most Democrats have written him off completely, he's still relevant to the health care debate.

"Despite some reports, I am still working with Sen. Baucus and other members of the so-called Gang of Six," Enzi said in a statement today.

This is the same Mike Enzi who said today that the health care bill he's so meticulously working on will likely fail, and that he probably won't support it in any case.

Health Care

Majority of Nevadans Support a Public Option

Brian Beutler | September 3, 2009, 3:40PM

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV)

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid may be in jeopardy of losing his seat in Nevada--but it's not because of his stance on health care reform.

A new Research 2000 poll commissioned by Daily Kos finds that, by a significant margin of 52-40, Nevadans favor creating a public option.

As with almost all of these polls, the findings are extremely polarized, with a huge majority of Democrats in favor of creating a government run health insurance plan, and a huge majority of Republicans opposing it.

Reid has said he's in favor of creating a public option that would be administered by a private entity.

Health Care

Baucus: Public Option Not Likely to Survive

Brian Beutler | September 3, 2009, 2:59PM

Sen. Max Baucus (D-MT)

No big surprise here, but at this stage of the game it's worth keeping tabs on what all the key players are saying. Senate Finance Committee chairman Max Baucus says a public option probably isn't gonna make it.

"I'm not sure if public option is going to survive, frankly," Baucus told a crowd in Missoula today, saying a co-op system is much more likely.

Baucus has been fairly mum on his own preferences since handing over the fate of health care reform to the now-defunct Gang of Six. Though he once endorsed a public option, his committee walked away from the measure long ago, and a Finance Committee staffer told me last month that the proposal that eventually emerges from the Finance Committee will represent what Baucus believes can survive the Senate.

Harry Reid

Another Poll Shows Reid Trailing Republicans For 2010 Race

Eric Kleefeld | September 3, 2009, 2:50PM

A new Daily Kos/Research 2000 poll gives further confirmation that Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) is in serious trouble headed into his 2010 re-election campaign, with him trailing both potential Republican opponents.

Against former UNLV basketball player Danny Tarkanian, who has previously run unsuccessful campaigns for the state Senate for Nevada Secretary of State, Reid trails by 45%-40%. Against state GOP chair Sue Lowden, Reid is behind 44%-41%. These results are within the ±4% margin of error, but are hardly encouraging.

A Mason-Dixon poll from a week and a half ago also showed Reid trailing Tarkanian and Lowden, by greater margins than this survey does.

Public Option

Progressive Groups Petition Obama to Demand Public Option in Health Care Speech

Brian Beutler | September 3, 2009, 2:49PM

Many liberals may be readying themselves for the worst. But MoveOn and the Progressive Change Campaign Committee are filling the political space between now and President Obama's big Wednesday health care speech by pressuring him to support or demand a public option.

Both groups have blasted out petitions to their hundreds of thousands of members in the hope that a major public showing in support of the public option will convince Obama that there will be a political price to pay for abandoning it.

The MoveON petition reads: "President Obama, we're counting on you to fight for bold change on health care--including a strong public health insurance option. It's the key to breaking the stranglehold that private insurers have over our health care system."

While PCCC's is a bit bolder. "We worked so hard for real change. President Obama, please demand a strong public health insurance option in your speech to Congress. Letting the insurance companies win would not be change we can believe in."

You can read each group's letter to its members below the fold.

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Michele Bachmann

Oberstar: God Isn't Talking To Bachmann Anymore, "I Think She's Hearing Other Voices"

Eric Kleefeld | September 3, 2009, 1:23PM

Rep. Jim Oberstar (D-MN) and Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN)

Rep. Jim Oberstar (D-MN), the chairman of the House Transportation Committee, has some tough words for a particular member of his state's delegation -- Republican Rep. Michele Bachmann -- the Minnesota Independent reports.

"I don't think God's talking to her anymore," Oberstar said on Tuesday, in response to Bachmann's call for conservative activists to slit their wrists and become blood brothers against President Obama on health care. "I think she's hearing other voices."

The bit about God talking to Bachmann is not a random joke, by the way -- that's how Bachmann said she became a candidate for Congress in 2006, after God called her to run, and she and her husband fasted and prayed for three days to make sure.

VA-GOV

Deeds Radio Ad: McDonnell Has "Plans To Take Us Back To The Dark Ages"

Eric Kleefeld | September 3, 2009, 12:47PM

VA-GOV Candidates Creigh Deeds (D) and Bob McDonnell (R)

Things are heating up in the Virginia gubernoatiral race, with Democratic nominee Creigh Deeds running a new radio ad in Northern Virginia against Republican Bob McDonnell's 1989 thesis, in which the then-34-year-old McDonnell laid out a hard-right political manifesto against working women and sexual privacy.

The ad has a man and a woman discussing how McDonnell has "plans to take us back to the dark ages."

"And he wasn't just a kid when he wrote it," the woman says. "McDonnell was 34 years old, married, and months away from serving in the legislature."

The man responds: "I know, and the really scary part, is the Post said McDonnell has aggressively pursued over 10 proposals from his thesis as a legislator."

Click here to listen to the ad. The full script is available after the jump.

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Health Care

Sources: Expect Disappointed Progressives After Obama's Big Health Care Speech

Brian Beutler | September 3, 2009, 12:44PM

President Barack Obama

Late last night, Rep. Raul Grijalva (D-AZ)--a co-chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus--issued a press release saying he had "grave concerns" that the White House is telling pro-reform groups that they will "cease supporting" the public option.

Though I can not confirm Grijalva's specific claim entirely, after a number of off-the-record conversations with congressional and advocacy sources, it's clear that many progressives are preparing themselves to be disappointed next week.

Low-level White House officials have reached out to certain reform groups that have staked their ground on the need for a public option, I'm told, and warned them not to spend any more money advocating for the policy--that it's just not worth it. That suggestion hasn't been heeded--at least for now. The Progressive Change Campaign Committee, and Democracy for America raised over $100,000 to continue running this ad in Iowa after Congress returns from recess.

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Sarah Palin

Levi Johnston Calls Palin A Phony

Eric Kleefeld | September 3, 2009, 12:19PM

Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin

Levi Johnston's new article in Vanity Fair, in which he dishes all manner of dirt against his almost-mother-in-law Sarah Palin, is a real tour de force of family dysfunction, private dirt, and all-around personal contempt.

Much of the article is dedicated to telling people that the real Sarah Palin is not the wholesome, down-home mother that the public has been told about. According to Johnston, she doesn't pay attention to her kids, didn't work hard as governor, has an unhappy marriage with Todd, and rarely attends church. But perhaps the cruelest cut of all for this Republican superstar...she doesn't hunt and fish, either:

People think that Sarah likes hunting, fishing, and camping, but she doesn't. She says she goes hunting and lives off animal meat -- I've never seen it. I've never seen her touch a fishing pole. She had a gun in her bedroom and one day she asked me to show her how to shoot it. I asked her what kind of gun it was, and she said she didn't know, because it was in a box under her bed.

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Martha Coakley

Massachusetts Attorney General Declares For Ted Kennedy's Senate Seat

Eric Kleefeld | September 3, 2009, 11:18AM

State Atty. Gen. Martha Coakley (D-MA)

Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley has just announced her candidacy for the Democratic nomination for the late Ted Kennedy's Senate seat, becoming the first candidate to officially announce a campaign.

Coakley paid tribute to the late Kennedy. "As some have noted, no one can fill his shoes, but we must try to follow in his footsteps," said Coakley. "I think we all realize that the urgency of this time is clear, and it is that urgency that drives my decision. Today, I announce my candidate for the United States Senate."

It's interesting that Coakley has not waited for word from other potential candidates -- especially former Rep. Joseph P. Kennedy, a son of Robert Kennedy and nephew of Ted Kennedy, who has been much speculated about as a possible player. Somebody had to get in first, and Coakley is it.

Paul Broun

Broun: Obama Has Everything He Needs To Establish An Authoritarian Government

Eric Kleefeld | September 3, 2009, 10:59AM

Rep. Paul Broun (R-GA)

Rep. Paul Broun (R-GA) is reiterating his dire warnings about President Obama imposing an authoritarian regime in the United States, the Athens Banner-Herald reports.

At a meeting of local Republicans last night, Broun said that Obama already has or will have the three key elements necessary to become a dictator: A national police force, gun control and control of the press.

"He has the three things that are necessary to establish an authoritarian government," Broun said. "And so we need to be ever-vigilant, because freedom is precious."

Health Care

Schakowsky: I Will Not Vote For a Bill Without a Real Public Option

Brian Beutler | September 3, 2009, 9:17AM

Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-IL)

House Progressives are increasingly indicating that they're worried the White House will sacrifice the public option.

"Many Members of Congress -- including myself -- will not support a health insurance reform bill that does not break the strangle hold of private insurance companies on our health care system," said Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-IL). "That requires that consumers have a choice of a robust public health insurance plan. I will support nothing short of a robust public health insurance plan upon implementation, no triggers. I believe Congress will pass and the President will sign such a bill this Fall."

Schakowsky is chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus' health care task force. She's also a close Obama ally and many progressives believe that if the White House wants House progressives to compromise further on the public option, it will turn to her first. For now she's saying she's not budging.

Health Care

Grijalva: White House Telling Reformers It Will Cease Support for Public Option

Brian Beutler | September 3, 2009, 9:08AM

Rep. Raul Grijalva (D-AZ)

Last night, Rep. Raul Grijalva (D-AZ), co-chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus sent out a telling press release.

"I have grave concerns about calls reportedly being made from the Administration to health care reform advocacy organizations supporting the choice of a public option insurance plan," Grijalva said.

Grijalva said the White House is telling health care reformers, "they will cease supporting the public option portion of the upcoming health care reform legislation"

I truly expect the President to live up to the promises he has made to America about real change and that he truly stands for uninsured Americans and working families that need and are demanding a choice of a competitive public option when he addresses Wednesday's joint session of Congress.

Without a public option, this bill is not real reform. Real reform would lower and contain health care costs, precisely what inclusion of a public option would achieve. Without a robust public option, reform will enrich pharmaceutical and insurance companies because it will lack any significant competition and incentives to drive down health care costs for consumers.

Over 60 House progressives have vowed not to vote for legislation that doesn't include a public option--enough to ensure that a bill won't pass if they follow through.

Barack Obama

Axelrod: Obama Believes Public Option Would Be Boon to Consumers

Brian Beutler | September 2, 2009, 6:34PM

White House Senior Advisor David Axelrod

After suggesting that the public option had passed on into the realm of the spirits, White House adviser David Axelrod now says Obama still embraces the measure, but will not say whether he'll stand behind it when he addresses Congress on Wednesday.

"The President embraced the public option because he believes" it would be a boon to consumers, Axelrod told CNN's Ed Henry.

However, he would not say one way or another whether that means Obama will rally for it when he addresses a joint session of Congress next week. "I'm not going to deal with the details of the President's speech," Axelrod said. "Otherwise there wouldn't be any point in giving it."

VA-GOV

National Dems Pumping $5 Million Into Virginia Gubernatorial Race

Eric Kleefeld | September 2, 2009, 6:28PM

VA-GOV Candidates Creigh Deeds (D) and Bob McDonnell (R)

The Democratic National Committee is pumping some serious cash into the Virginia gubernatorial race, with $5 million set to go to Democratic nominee Creigh Deeds and the state Dems.

Deeds currently trails Republican Bob McDonnell in the polls, but is hoping to capitalize on McDonnell's weaknesses -- especially the hard-right manifesto that McDonnell wrote as a 34-year-old for Pat Robertson's Regent University.

It should of course be noted that DNC chairman Tim Kaine's current day job is being the current Governor of Virginia. So if the GOP were to win this one, he'd hardly look good at all, now would he?

George Allen

Could George Allen Make A Comeback?

Eric Kleefeld | September 2, 2009, 5:58PM

Former Sen. George Allen (R-VA)

Could George Allen -- the one-term Republican Senator from Virginia who in 2006 threw away a seemingly certain re-election and future presidential run when he called a Jim Webb staffer by the obscure racial epithet, "macaca" -- actually be able to make a comeback?

The new survey of Virginia from Public Policy Polling (D) finds that Allen has a 50% favorable rating, with 38% unfavorable. When asked whether they would vote for Allen if he ran for office again, 31% said they would definitely vote for him, 36% said definitely not, and 31% said they would consider it.

One caveat: Due to a higher motivation among GOP voters at this time, this poll comes from a likely voter pool that is more white, less black, and more conservative than the 2008 electorate. For example, respondents voted 49%-45% for McCain (plus respondents who wouldn't divulge their votes), compared to a 53%-47% Obama win in the actual election. Still, as Dave Weigel points out, 12% of African-Americans would vote for Allen, and 19% would consider it -- which does seem rather odd.

Health Care

Reformers to Obama: You Don't Win By Disappointing Your Supporters

Brian Beutler | September 2, 2009, 5:45PM

President Obama will clarify his health care reform principles before a joint session of Congress Wednesday, and a number of White House officials have come forward to suggest that the public option will not be among them. If that's the case, it will devastate the large segment of the reform community that regards the public option as one of the most crucial elements of legislation.

"The question is what's he gonna do in a week," says Richard Kirsch, campaign director for Health Care for America Now. "He's giving his address next Wednesday. We have to see what the President says."

HCAN is an umbrella group for dozens of influential liberal interest groups supporting reform.

"A lot of people will be disappointed if he doesn't continue to show his commitment [to the public option], but hopefully he will," Kirsch tells me.

Read more »

Curt Schilling

Curt Schilling Considering GOP Bid For Ted Kennedy's Senate Seat

Eric Kleefeld | September 2, 2009, 5:16PM

Fmr. Major League Baseball Player Curt Schilling (R)

Curt Schilling, the former baseball pitcher for the Philadelphia Phillies, the Arizona Diamondbacks and the Boston Red Sox, appears to be considering a possible run as a Republican for Ted Kennedy's Senate seat. Schilling previously campaigned for George W. Bush in 2004 and John McCain in2 008.

Schilling told New England Cable News that he's been contacted about that race, but that as of today, he was "probably not" running. Nevertheless, the idea remains. "I do have some interest in the possibility," Schilling wrote. "That being said to get to there, from where I am today, many many things would have to align themselves for that to truly happen. I am not going to comment further on the matter since at this point it would be speculation on top of speculation."

Read more »

VA-GOV

Could Walk-Back From Thesis Hurt McDonnell With GOP Base?

Eric Kleefeld | September 2, 2009, 4:46PM

VA-GOV Candidates Creigh Deeds (D) and Bob McDonnell (R)

Bob McDonnell, the Republican nominee for Governor of Virginia, has been working hard lately to walk back from his 1989 thesis, in which the then-34-year-old McDonnell laid out a plan for a hard religious-right agenda. But does the walk-back have a price of its own?

The Washington Post has an interesting quote from Victoria Cobb, president of the Virginia-based Family Foundation. "Bob McDonnell got where he is because pro-family Virginians have seen him as a champion for their cause," Cobb said. "If he expects to motivate those same voters, they need to continue to see him as that champion."

So if McDonnell works too hard to prove that he's not a right-wing theocrat, maybe that could actually depress enthusiasm among the people who genuinely like that sort of thing.

Afghanistan

Holbrooke Brushes Off Afghanistan Election Problems -- Compares Them To Minnesota Senate Race!

Eric Kleefeld | September 2, 2009, 4:25PM

In a press conference in Paris, U.S. special envoy for Afghanistan Richard Holbrooke downplayed the issue of fraud in the Afghanistan election -- even comparing it to the Minnesota Senate race!

"During that process there are going to be many claims of irregularities; that happens in every democracy," said Holbrooke. "We recently had a senatorial election in Minnesota which took seven months to determine the outcome, there were so many charges of irregularities. It certainly won't take that long in Afghanistan, but that happens in democracies, even when they are not in the middle of a war."

Two points immediately jump to mind. First, there is widely-documented mass fraud in Afghanistan, while the meticulousness of the Minnesota litigation in fact showed that, while the process had its imperfections and reasonable doubts, widespread fraud was not involved. And second, Holbrooke says how it won't take as long to sort out the situation in Afghanistan. Oh, if only Al Franken and Norm Coleman had guns!

Barack Obama

Obama to Address Joint Session of Congress to Retake Control of Health Care Debate.

Brian Beutler | September 2, 2009, 3:29PM

President Barack Obama

President Obama will address the country before a joint session of Congress on September 9--a key element of his bid to take charge of the health care debate as Congress returns to session after a grueling August recess.

The event will occur two days after Obama appears at a Labor day event with the AFL-CIO, which is insisting on the inclusion of the public option.

Jim Greer

Florida GOP: Keep Obama Out of Our Schools!

Eric Kleefeld | September 2, 2009, 2:53PM

President Barack Obama

I just spoke with Florida Republican Party press secretary Katie Gordon, regarding state party chairman Jim Greer's denunciation of President Obama's upcoming national address to schoolchildren on Tuesday. Gordon stood by the party's press release -- and said that children should not be subjected to what she said is a clear attempt at political indoctrination by the Obama administration. Indeed, she said parents should be able to opt-out their kids from the speech.

The Department of Education's press release says about the address: "The President will challenge students to work hard, set educational goals, and take responsibility for their learning. He will also call for a shared responsibility and commitment on the part of students, parents and educators to ensure that every child in every school receives the best education possible so they can compete in the global economy for good jobs and live rewarding and productive lives as American citizens."

But Gordon says there's a lot to be worried about. "I think that's certainly the concern, is that we don't know what this speech is about," said Gordon. "There's no advanced copy being given to parents, teachers or principals. I think that's certainly our concern, because if you look at the teaching tools that are being provided, it's certainly extremely biased."

Read more »

Health Care

If Public Option Isn't Dead, Why Is Axelrod Referring to Its "Spirit"?

Brian Beutler | September 2, 2009, 2:34PM

The Obama administration is sending out its strongest signs yet that it's willing to scrap a public option in order to move a health care bill forward. White House adviser David Axelrod tells ABC News that what remains of Obama's desire for a public option is largely theoretical. "The spirit that led him to support a public option is still very much at play here and so you know he wants competition. He wants choice."

And an anonymous White House official tells Politico "We have been saying all along that the most important part of this debate is not the public option, but rather ensuring choice and competition."

If the administration has concluded that a public option won't fly (or has at least decided not to fight for it) it will be implicitly siding with the Senate in the congressional fight over the direction health care reform should take.

Read more »

Blanche Lincoln

Lincoln: "I Would Not Support a Solely Government-Funded Public Option"

Brian Beutler | September 2, 2009, 1:27PM

Sen. Blanche Lincoln (D-AR)

Sen. Blanche Lincoln (D-AR) has been tepidly supportive of a public option in the past, so her comments to reporters today come as a bit of a head-scratcher. "I would not support a solely government-funded public option. We can't afford that," Lincoln said.

This sounds to me like a hedge: there's a difference between a government-funded public option, and one that's financed by consumer premiums, which is what the House's health care reform bill will call for. Lincoln's office wasn't immediately available for comment to clarify this point, but we'll post her response when we get it.

VA-GOV

Poll: McDonnell Still Ahead, Thesis Not A Big Issue (For Now, Anyway)

Eric Kleefeld | September 2, 2009, 12:51PM

VA-GOV Candidates Creigh Deeds (D) and Bob McDonnell (R)

A new Rasmussen poll of the Virginia gubernatorial race finds that Republican candidate Bob McDonnell -- who was recently revealed to have written a thesis when he was 34, laying out a hard-right political program -- still leads Democrat Creigh Deeds.

The numbers: McDonnell 51%, Deeds 42%. This is essentially unchanged from the 49%-41% McDonnell lead from a month ago.

The pollster's analysis points out that that the thesis story may not have fully sink in yet to its fullest potential extent: "To this point, just 49% of Likely Voters say they've followed news stories on this topic even somewhat closely ... It is possible that the thesis itself or the views expressed in the document could become a bigger factor in the campaign this fall."

David Axelrod

Axelrod to Grassley, Enzi: Nice Knowin' Ya!

Brian Beutler | September 2, 2009, 11:57AM

White House Senior Advisor David Axelrod

White House adviser David Axelrod says Sen. Chuck Grassley's attempt to raise funds by attacking "Obama-care" was a bridge too far.

"If you're sitting at a table negotiating in good faith, then you probably don't send out mailers saying, 'Help me stop Obama-care.' That's just common sense," Axelrod told the Wall Street Journal, adding that Grassley's actions, along with those of Sen. Mike Enzi, suggest "they don't want to participate" in constructive health care negotiations.

"They're satisfied with the status quo. We are not," Axelrod said.

Earlier this week, White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said that, by lending credence to the "death panel" attack, Enzi had turned over his cards and walked away from the table.

Sen. Max Baucus (D-MT), who chairs the Senate Finance Committee will likely have the ultimate say in who's allowed to negotiate for health care reform, and who won't. But as far as the White House is concerned, the gang of six is down to four, and they're now looking to more moderate Republicans like Olympia Snowe for support.

Ben Nelson

With Leadership Readying Dem-Only Health Care Bill, Ben Nelson Calls for Bipartisanship

Brian Beutler | September 2, 2009, 11:56AM

Sen. Ben Nelson (D-NE).

After months of trying to compromise with Republicans on health care, Democratic leaders are preparing to move forward with a Democrat-only health care bill after. The GOP is predictably pulling out all the stops--warning Dems that going it alone will cost them dearly, and drafting as many procedural hurdles as possible to stymie those efforts. But how are the conservative Democrats reacting? They're calling for bipartisanship, too.

"In my view, bipartisan legislation translates to better legislation and incorporates broader policy solutions to today's health care problems. Many people are rightfully leery of government. It will be difficult to achieve a bipartisan bill. But it will be even harder to push through a purely partisan bill," wrote Sen. Ben Nelson (D-NE) in an opinion piece for the Lincoln Journal Star. "When Congress reconvenes next week, I hope colleagues return from home with a greater sense that this target is within reach. By shedding disagreements and focusing on practical health care reforms we also can cast aside lingering fears of a government takeover, runaway deficit spending, tax increases, or coverage for abortions or illegal immigrants."

Democrats have addressed most of those fears already--though the House has called for a small surtax on wealth Americans so that health care reform doesn't entail "runaway deficit spending."

Sarah Palin

Levi Johnston: Palin Offered To Adopt Baby, Talked About Resigning After 2008 Election To "Triple The Money"

Eric Kleefeld | September 2, 2009, 9:44AM

Former Gov. Sarah Palin (R-AK)

In the upcoming (and much-awaited) article in Vanity Fair, Levi Johnston dishes some serious dirt on Sarah Palin. In the excerpts that have been teased out this morning, Johnston, says that Palin didn't like being governor, thinking that it was too hard, and immediately after the 2008 election she began to think about resigning in order to pursue something more lucrative:

Sarah was sad for a while. She walked around the house pouting. I had assumed she was going to go back to her job as governor, but a week or two after she got back she started talking about how nice it would be to quit and write a book or do a show and make "triple the money." It was, to her, "not as hard." She would blatantly say, "I want to just take this money and quit being governor." She started to say it frequently, but she didn't know how to do it. When she came home from work, it seemed like she was more and more stressed out.

Read more »

Barack Obama

Obama to Lay Out His Terms on Health Care Reform--Public Option Not Among Them

Brian Beutler | September 2, 2009, 9:16AM

President Barack Obama

President Barack Obama plans to tell the country, in more precise terms, what it is he wants to see in a health care reform bill. According to White House adviser David Axelrod, Obama will not put anything new on the table, but will be more specific about his key goals.

That means that Obama will, again, not be insisting on a public option--a development (or a non-development) that's sure to give his progressive base some heartburn.

According to the Associated Press, Obama may give a speech in the next week or two as part of an effort to regain control of the health care reform debate, after losing it during a month of grueling politics.

The development comes as Obama is faced with falling poll numbers and news reports indicating that, after a month of town halls and "death panel" misinformation, a great majority of Americans are confused about what his reform plan would actually do.

Chris Van Hollen

Van Hollen On GOP And Medicare: "The Hypocrisy Is Shameless"

Eric Kleefeld | September 1, 2009, 6:10PM

Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD)

In an interview with Ezra Klein over at the Washington Post, DCCC chairman Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) shot back at the current Republican arguments about protecting Medicare from the Democrats:

The hypocrisy is shameless. I won't go through the history of Medicare, but for Republicans to say that you should trust us on Medicare is like Colonel Sanders guarding the chicken coop. I think most seniors know that, and these scare tactics will boomerang. I don't think people will buy it, since the guys peddling this stuff are the very people who have been trying to undermine and weaken Medicare for years and years. There was a budget alternative put forward by Paul Ryan this year that would have ended Medicare as we know it and given all seniors a voucher to get their health care on the private market. And they voted for it. So we know what they wanted to do with Medicare.

AFL-CIO

AFL-CIO to Congress: Oppose Public Option "At Your Peril"

Brian Beutler | September 1, 2009, 5:50PM

AFL-CIO Sec. Treasurer Richard Trumka

AFL-CIO's position on the health care debate is clear. To those who might obstruct the public option, "do so at your peril," AFL-CIO secretary treasurer Richard Trumka said.

"If you're not willing to do what you promised to do, you'll have a tough time convincing our members at election time."

"It is an absolute must," he said. "[W]e won't support the bill if it doesn't have a public option in it."

Trumka is expected to be named AFL-CIO president this month. His remarks echo similar comments he made in August, but seem to really turn up the temperature on public option foes and skeptics, who'll be getting no love from labor if they block it.

Health Care

GOP Girds Itself for "Minor Revolution" as Dems Prepare to Go It Alone on Health Care

Brian Beutler | September 1, 2009, 5:07PM

As Republicans walk away from bipartisan health care negotiations and Democrats prepare to pass reforms on their own, the GOP is sharpening its rhetorical swords ahead of a big legislative fight.

"I think that would wreck our health care system and wreck the Democratic Party if they did that," Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-TN) told reporters during a Tuesday conference call. "[T]here would be a minor revolution in the country."

He's beginning to sound like Sen. James Inhofe (R-OK). Which is telling for a senator who's normally thought of as one of the GOP's less abrasive members. And though Alexander probably isn't the best source of information for what will or will not wreck the Democratic party, his dramatic words signal that the Republicans take the threat seriously.

Read more »

Harry Reid

Reid: My Public Option Would Be Private In Name Only

Brian Beutler | September 1, 2009, 2:34PM

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV)

During a Friday tele-town hall event, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid told constituents that he doesn't think the public option ought to be a government run program like Medicare, but instead favors a "private entity that has direction from the federal government so people that don't fall within the parameters of being able to get insurance from their employers, they would have a place to go."

Today, a Reid spokesperson tells me, "[t]he idea is that [Department of Health and Human Services] could contract with a third-party administrator to do the administrative stuff. It would still be policies set by HHS."

Though this isn't the reform community's first preference, it is something they could get behind.

Read more »

Harry Reid

Reid: Kennedy's Death Will Help On Health Care, "He's An Inspiration To Us"

Eric Kleefeld | September 1, 2009, 2:07PM

Sen. Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV)

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid was asked by the Reno Gazette-Journal what effect Ted Kennedy's death will have on the health care bill -- and Reid said it would help.

"I think it's going to help us," said Reid. "He hasn't been around for some time," he added, seemingly in response to the (unstated) issue of Kennedy's vote getting lost. Reid also said the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee will have a new chairman, either Chris Dodd or Tom Harkin.

"He's an inspiration for us," Reid said of Kennedy. "That was the issue of his life and he didn't get it done."

MA-SEN

Report: Massachusetts Attorney General Gets In Race For Ted Kennedy's Senate Seat

Eric Kleefeld | September 1, 2009, 12:45PM

Massachusetts Atty. Gen. Martha Coakley (D)

The Boston Globe reports that Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley picked up nomination papers for Senate this morning, from the Secretary of State's office -- launching a campaign for Ted Kennedy's Senate seat.

This would make Coakley the first candidate to officially get in the race since Kennedy's death..

TPM has placed requests for comment with Coakley's campaign committee and the state Attorney General's office.

Health Care

51 Vote Rules May Force a Public Option Too Liberal for Some Dems

Brian Beutler | September 1, 2009, 12:15PM

Sen. Harry Reid (D-NV) and Sen. Charles Schumer (D-NY)

As Senate leaders begin work on a Democrat-only health care bill, they're finding themselves confronted with an unexpected irony: Though the caucus has reached an uneasy consensus around a public option that's modeled in many ways after a private insurer, it may be necessary to make the public option more liberal, and thus, more politically radioactive, if it's to overcome a number of unique procedural hurdles.

This is the needle Democrats may have to thread if they want a public option, and at the same time, want to bypass a Republican filibuster. And the key for them will be keeping conservative Democrats on board.

"A very robust public option that scores significant savings would presumably be easy to justify doing through reconciliation," says a Senate Democratic aide. "But it is still being studied whether other, more moderate versions of a public option could pass parliamentary muster."

Read more »

VA-GOV

Deeds Campaign, Moderate Former GOP Legislators Slam McDonnell For Walking Back Right-Wing Thesis

Eric Kleefeld | September 1, 2009, 11:18AM

VA-GOV Candidates Creigh Deeds (D) and Bob McDonnell (R)

On a conference call with reporters just now, the campaign of Virginia Democratic gubernatorial candidate Creigh Deeds continued to hammer away at Republican Bob McDonnell for his right-wing thesis from 20 years ago, in which the then-34-year-old McDonnell laid out a plan of action for legislating a Christian right agenda.

And this time, the Deeds campaign brought out some moderate Republican former state legislators, to hammer McDonnell for walking away from it, after a lengthy conference call yesterday in which he disavowed all those positions.

"I've been following closely, of course, the breaking news of the thesis," said former state Sen. Marty Williams. "And quite frankly as someone who served with Bob for years, the thesis didn't have any surprises for me."

Williams later said that this was not a college paper by a 18-year old kid, but a detailed thesis by a man of 34: "My biggest surprise is that he is running away from it. I read that thesis, and it's the Bob I've always known."

Read more »

Michele Bachmann

Bachmann To Activists: Slit Our Wrists And Become Blood Brothers Against Obama's Health Care

Eric Kleefeld | September 1, 2009, 10:01AM

Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN)

Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN) spoke yesterday to the right-wing Independence Institute, the Colorado Independent reports, and she called on conservative to really come together in the fight against President Obama on health care.

"What we have to do today is make a covenant, to slit our wrists, be blood brothers on this thing," said Bachmann. "This will not pass. We will do whatever it takes to make sure this doesn't pass."

The sanguinary rhetoric continued. "Right now, we are looking at reaching down the throat and ripping the guts out of freedom," she said. "And we may never be able to restore it if we don't man up and take this one on."

Read more »

NJ-GOV

Poll: Christie Up By Five In New Jersey

Eric Kleefeld | September 1, 2009, 9:50AM

Gov. Jon Corzine (D-NJ) and Former US Attorney Chris Christie (R)

Another poll from New Jersey has Democratic Jon Corzine trailing his Republican opponent, former U.S. Attorney Chris Christie -- though it's not as bad as the Quinnipiac poll with Christie up by 10 points.

The new Fairleigh Dickinson University poll has Christie with 47% to Corzine's 42%, with a ±4% margin of error. This is not significantly changed from the previous FDU poll from two months ago, which had Christie up by 45%-39%.

The pollster's analysis finds that Christie has locked up 85% of Republicans, while Corzine only has 73% of Democrats in this reliably blue state: "The Republican appears to be in pretty good shape headed into Labor Day. The question is whether he has peaked while Corzine still has voters to win over."

Late Update: Corzine campaign spokesperson Lis Smith gives us this comment: "The FDU poll and a variety of other public polls show that the Governor's message is beginning to resonate. New Jersey residents will have a very clear choice in November between a candidate that is working to get the state back on the right financial track and a candidate that has never created a job and has no plans to do so now."

Health Care

Majority of Democrats, Republicans, Don't Understand Obama Health Care Proposal

Brian Beutler | September 1, 2009, 9:26AM

President Barack Obama

A large majority of Americans (of both political parties) say they find Democrats' health care reform plan confusing, and that President Obama has failed to clearly explain the proposal

About 67 percent of those questioned in a new CBS News poll said they don't understand the reforms. Sixty-nine percent of Republicans find the new reforms confusing as do 58 percent of Democrats.

The poll comes at the end of the month in which health care headlines were dominated by words like "death" and "panel." This weekend, Washington Post ombudsman Andrew Alexandr concluded that "of roughly 80 A-section stories on health-care reform since July 1, all but about a dozen focused on political maneuvering or protests."

NJ-GOV

Poll: Christie Still Ahead Of Corzine, Despite Recent Scandals

Eric Kleefeld | September 1, 2009, 8:59AM

Gov. Jon Corzine (D-NJ) and Former US Attorney Chris Christie (R)

The new Quinnipiac poll of the New Jersey gubernatorial race finds that recent scandals haven't hurt Republican former U.S. Attorney Chris Christie against Democratic Gov. Jon Corzine -- indeed, Christie's lead has actually increased slightly over the unpopular incumbent.

The numbers: Christie 47%, Corzine 37%, and independent Chris Daggett at 9%. Three weeks ago, the figure for the three-way race was 46%-40%-7%.

The pollster's analysis finds that Corzine's ads about Christie having given contracts to people tied to the Bush administration are not getting through -- people view it as an unfair attack. The issue of Christie's undisclosed loan to Michele Brown, his former subordinate in the U.S. Attorney's office scores a little higher -- but even here, a 49%-43% plurality view it as not being a legitimate issue.

Senate '10

Honoré: I'm Not Running Against Vitter -- And I'm Not A Republican

Eric Kleefeld | August 31, 2009, 6:13PM

Lt. General Russel L. Honoré Ret.

Retired Army Gen. Russel Honoré, who has been on a daylong media tour trying to knock down rumors that he was looking at a possible run for Senate in a Republican primary challenge against Sen. David Vitter (R-LA), has given his most specific denial to date, the Louisiana Weekly reports.

Honoré said he did not even know Joe Berry, the Republican consultant who claimed to have met with him to discuss a bid. "I am not running for office," said Honoré. "I don't know who this is. I was not at my home two weeks ago. I have no idea who this gentleman could be."

He also strongly disavowed that he was even a registered Republican, and that an official spokesman named Charles Lamley had said he was not ruling out a run: "I never declared myself as a Republican during the Reagan Administration. I have never lived in Zachary as he claimed. I have never heard of Charles Lamley."

Read more »

VA-GOV

McDonnell Disavows Controversial Right-Wing Ideas From His Thesis

Eric Kleefeld | August 31, 2009, 5:29PM

VA-GOV Candidates Creigh Deeds (D) and Bob McDonnell (R)

Bob McDonnell, the Republican nominee for Governor of Virginia, just had an unusually long conference call with reporters -- about 80 minutes -- in which he sought to walk back and minimize any political damage that might occur from his recently-revealed 1989 master's thesis at Regent University, in which the then-34-year-old McDonnell laid out a comprehensive religious right political program.

(For more goodies from the thesis, check out our write-up at TPMmuckraker.)

Said McDonnell: "A contention by my opponent [state Sen. Creigh Deeds] that a 20-year-old academic exercise somehow represents my 18-year career in public service is just a flat misrepresentation, and the Senator well knows that.'

McDonnell, point by point, disowned the positions he took in the thesis -- even at one point minimizing it as a "term paper." He said that he respects women in the workplace; that he would not try to re-restrict divorce; that he does not advocate discrimination against gays; and that he does not regard civil law is subject to Biblical law.

Read more »

MA-SEN

Patrick Announces January 19 For Special Election

Eric Kleefeld | August 31, 2009, 3:38PM

Gov. Deval Patrick (D-MA) has announced that January 19 has been set as the date for the special election to replace Ted Kennedy in the United States Senate -- and that he is still pushing for legislation to allow an interim appointment.

The Boston Globe pointed out today that the primary election would be held on December 8 under such a schedule. The winner of the Democratic nomination will be heavily favored to ultimately win the seat.

Patrick acknowledged that the possibility of an interim appointment had been rejected when the law changed in 2004 -- when state Democrats stripped then-Republican Gov. Mitt Romney of the ability to appoint a Senator, in case John Kerry would have won the presidency. But Patrick said he was not there at the time, and is not familiar with all the facts, but that the best way to get the state full representation is through an appointment.

Read more »

VA-GOV

Tim Kaine Blasts McDonnell's Right-Wing Thesis

Eric Kleefeld | August 31, 2009, 3:01PM

DNC Chair Tim Kaine

DNC chairman and outgoing Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine is now hopping on the organized party assault against Bob McDonnell, the Republican nominee for Governor of Virginia, over the thesis McDonnell wrote 20 years ago describing a comprehensive religious-right political philosophy and political plan of action.

In an e-mail sent out to supporters of his state political PAC, Moving Virginia Forward, Kaine asks recipients to read the Washington Post's article on the thesis.

"After years of working with Bob, I believe this article is an accurate reflection of his sincere and long-standing views," Kaine says. "But I do not believe that this philosophy, which Bob has worked strenuously to implement as an elected official, is the right direction for Virginia. In fact, I think it would take us backwards and jeopardize much of the success we have achieved in the Commonwealth in recent years."

Check out the e-mail after the jump.

Read more »

Mike Enzi

Gibbs: Enzi's Flipped Over His Cards And Walked Away from the Health Care Table

Brian Beutler | August 31, 2009, 2:16PM

Sen. Mike Enzi (R-WY)

White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said today that the "Gang of Six" health care negotiators on the Senate Finance Committee might now be the "Gang of Five."

During this week's GOP YouTube address, Sen. Mike Enzi (R-WY)--one of the three Republicans involved in bipartisan health care negotiations--trashed Democratic reform ideas.

"The bills would expand comparative effectiveness research that would be used to limit or deny care based on age or disability of patients," Enzi said, echoing the rationale used by those who falsely warn that Democrats plan to create "death panels."

For the White House, that appears to have been a bridge too far.

Read more »

NY-SEN

Peter King Not Running For Senate, Further Boosting Gillibrand's Prospects For 2010

Eric Kleefeld | August 31, 2009, 2:09PM

Rep. Peter King (R-NY)

Rep. Peter King (R-NY) has announced that he will not run for Senate in 2010 against appointed incumbent Democrat Kirsten Gillibrand, after having publicly eyed the race for months.

Polls had previously shown King running competitively against Gillibrand, with high undecided numbers due to a lack of overall brand recognition for the incumbent. But King admitted in his official statement that he would face tough obstacles: "The reality is that a statewide Democratic candidate starts the race with a voter registration edge of almost 3 million. To overcome such a large margin, there would have to be intensive media coverage of the race and I would need to raise at least $30 million."

Read more »

Health Care

After Weeks of Health Care Madness, Public Support for Reform Drops... Somewhat

Brian Beutler | August 31, 2009, 1:33PM

President Barack Obama

As predicted, August did not go quietly. But after a month of wild-eyed freak outs over death panels, and death books, and death wishes, and death threats, how much has the state of public opinion on health care really changed?

The answer probably depends on how you look at it: too much if you support reform, too little if you oppose it. Given just how raucous the last several weeks have been though--relative to over-the-top rhetoric comparing Obama to Hitler and health care reform to Nazism--the real change has been surprisingly modest.

Read more »

NJ-GOV

Corzine Ad Attacks Christie Over The Michele Brown Loan

Eric Kleefeld | August 31, 2009, 12:09PM

Gov. Jon Corzine (D-NJ) and Former US Attorney Chris Christie (R)

A new TV ad from Gov. Jon Corzine (D-NJ) attacks his Republican opponent, former U.S. Attorney Chris Christie, over the undisclosed $46,000 loan that Christie made to Michele Brown, a subordinate of his in the U.S. Attorney's office who recently had to resign over the scandal:

"When he was caught, Christie said it was a 'mistake,' But he prosecuted people who did the same thing," the announcer says. "Chris Christie. One set of rules for himself. Another for everyone else."

Also note that the announcer first refers to Christie as "Republican Chris Christie" -- pushing the message to voters in this Democratic state that Christie is not only shady, but he's a Republican.

VA-GOV

Deeds Campaign Slams McDonnell's Right-Wing Thesis As "Blueprint For Governing"

Eric Kleefeld | August 31, 2009, 12:01PM

VA-GOV Candidates Creigh Deeds (D) and Bob McDonnell (R)

Democrats are now pouncing hard in the Virginia gubernatorial race against Republican nominee Bob McDonnell, who was revealed by the Washington Post to have laid out a meticulous religious-right political agenda in his thesis 20 years ago at Regent University.

In McDonnell's thesis at Regent -- the school founded by Pat Robertson -- the then-34-year old grad student laid out how his fundamental concern was the decline of the traditional family unit, and how government policies must be designed to counteract the nefarious influences that have contributed to it. As examples, McDonnell cited women joining the workforce, abortion and contraception (he even pined for the old days when non-marital sex was by itself a crime), and what he called a socialist effort to have the state replace the family unit.

On a conference call with reporters just now, the campaign of Democratic nominee Creigh Deeds laid into McDonnell.

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Harry Reid

Reid To Newspaper: "I Hope You Go Out of Business"

Eric Kleefeld | August 31, 2009, 10:44AM

Sen. Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV)

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) apparently had some choice words last week his home-state's largest paper, the Republican-leaning Las Vegas Review-Journal.

Review-Journal columnist Sherman Frederick wrote that the paper's advertising director Bob Brown met up with Reid at a Chamber of Commerce luncheon, and that Reid told Brown: "I hope you go out of business."

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Health Care

Reid: I'm Not Bound By White House/PhRMA Deal

Brian Beutler | August 31, 2009, 9:16AM

During a Friday tele-town hall with constituents, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said he's not bound by a controversial deal, reportedly reached between the White House and the pharmaceutical industry, to cap drug manufacturers' contributions to the cost of health care reform.

"I have not agreed with anybody to do that," Reid said. "I'm a Democrat in the Senate, and I haven't agreed."

PhRMA was the first major industry group to support the president's health care reform initiative, and even agreed to contribute $80 billion to the upstart cost of overhauling the system. But its support was reportedly linked to a deal, agreed to by the White House, that limits the contribution to $80 billion, and that rewards drug manufacturers with White House support for a number of their key policy preferences. The White House and PhRMA have each tried to walk back reports of the deal, though at times in conflicting ways.

Reid is the latest in a growing list of key members of Congress to insist they weren't party to the deal and aren't bound by it.