CPAC

CPAC Shocker? 2% Of Conservatives Approve Of Obama, Straw Poll Finds

Evan McMorris-Santoro | February 20, 2010, 6:01PM

President Barack Obama

Ron Paul's victory in the CPAC straw poll might just be the second most surprising result from the poll, which was released tonight before Glenn Beck gives the final speech of the 2010 conference. After getting bad-mouthed (at best) by speakers at the podium and attendees throughout the conference, it turns out President Obama still has a few fans at CPAC.

Two percent of the more than 2,000 attendees who participated in the straw poll said they approve of the job Obama is doing. Ninety-eight percent said they disapprove of the job president is doing. The 98% is not a shocking result for a White House that's seen the right grow in strength and power on the back of Obama's policies since Inauguration Day last year. But in today's conservative political environment, it's hard to see how a 2% approval rating for Obama could be viewed as anything but an upset.

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CPAC

Ron Paul Wins 2010 CPAC Straw Poll

Evan McMorris-Santoro | February 20, 2010, 5:42PM

Rep. Ron Paul (R-TX)

Libertarian darling Ron Paul won the CPAC straw poll tonight, taking 31% of the vote in the multi-candidate field. Mitt Romney came in a distant second place. Sarah Palin came in third, drawing single-digits.

Only 2,395 straw poll votes were cast by what organizers said was 10,000 attendees at this year's CPAC.

Results from the full field, and a link to the complete poll after the jump.

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CPAC

Rick Santorum: I'm Not Sweating The CPAC Straw Poll

Evan McMorris-Santoro | February 20, 2010, 11:50AM

Former Sen. Rick Santorum (R-PA)

Former Sen. Rick Santorum, the Pennsylvania Republican who's currently in the opening phases of a run for the presidency, told TPMDC today that the CPAC presidential straw poll, the results of which are due tonight, is far from his mind as he works the conservative crowd at this year's conference.

"Nothing," Santorum said flatly when I asked him what he's done to win the straw poll, which pundits often point to as an early gauge of a potential GOP nominee's support with the conservative base of the party. Santorum said he's not paying attention to the poll, which he appears on for the first time this year.

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2010 elections

Report: Steve Welch Drops Out In PA-6 To Avoid Primary With Rep. Gerlach

Christina Bellantoni | February 20, 2010, 11:15AM

Rep. Jim Gerlach (R-PA) and PA-06 candidate Steve Welch (R).

Businessman Steve Welch reportedly announced this morning he is ending his bid to be the Republican nominee for the sixth district of Pennsylvania, sparing the party a potentially divisive primary with Rep. Jim Gerlach.

Welch was the favored candidate for what was the open seat when Gerlach said he would run for governor. But last month, Gerlach changed his mind and instead is seeking reelection.

The blog pa2010 captured the remarks this morning as Welch spoke to Chester County Republicans.

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Health Care

Obama To GOP On Health Care Summit: Come Here In Good Faith

Christina Bellantoni | February 20, 2010, 9:41AM

President Barack Obama

President Obama used his weekly address to the nation to ask members of Congress to "move forward together" on health care reform after his White House summit next week.

"We know the American people want us to reform our health insurance system. We know where the broad areas of agreement are. And we know where the sources of disagreement lie," Obama said.

"After debating this issue exhaustively for a year, let's move forward together. Next week is our chance to finally reform our health insurance system so it works for families and small businesses. It's our chance to finally give Americans the peace of mind of knowing that they'll be able to have affordable coverage when they need it most," he said.

Citing the rate hikes proposed by Anthem Blue Cross and the new report showing more increases are expected across the country, Obama called on Democrats and Republicans to do something about it.

"That's what the future is on track to look like. But it's not what the future has to look like," he said.

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CPAC

CPAC Day 2: Conservatives Still Struggling To Reach Out To African Americans

Evan McMorris-Santoro | February 19, 2010, 6:34PM

Michael Williams, Commissioner on the Railroad Commission of Texas and candidate for U.S. Senate (R)

It's an easy observation to make at CPAC: there just aren't a lot of African American conservatives. Walking the halls of this massive event (organizers say up to 10,000 activists are in attendance) you barely see any color in the sea of white faces. The same goes for the candidates on the dais. Though conservatism has embraced a form gender equality when it comes to candidates -- some of the biggest names in conservative politics are women, after all -- there are very few conservative leaders that check a box other than "white" on their Census forms.

One big exception to that rule is Michael Williams, who took the stage this morning to share some of his considerable knowledge about climate change (or, as he would say, the lack thereof) and the intricacies of energy policy. After he gave his remarks, I caught up with him to talk about his race and, among other things, the state of black conservatism.

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Public Option

Specter Signs The Public Option Letter

Rachel Slajda | February 19, 2010, 6:15PM

Sen. Arlen Specter (D-PA)

Sen. Arlen Specter (D-PA) announced via Twitter today that he has signed onto Sen. Michael Bennet's (D-CO) letter urging leadership to use reconciliation to pass a public option.

Specter is the 19th senator to do so. The most prominent signatory is Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY), the third-ranking Democrat in the Senate.

"I'm proud to sign Sen. Bennet's letter. I support a public option to lower health costs and keep insurance co's hones," Specter tweeted.

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2010 elections

Doug Hoffman Likely Running Again As Candidate To 'Unite' All GOP Factions (VIDEO)

Christina Bellantoni | February 19, 2010, 5:36PM

Conservative Party Candidate Doug Hoffman, Rep. Bill Owens (D-NY)

Doug Hoffman is considering another bid for the 23rd Congressional district but this time will "absolutely" go the Republican establishment route, he told TPMDC.

Hoffman, who hinted he'd run a second time after losing to a Democrat last fall,
said if he gets in the race it would be to "get the seat back into Republican hands."

I caught up with Hoffman for an interview at the Conservative Political Action Conference today, and he charged that Rep. Bill Owens (D-NY) violated his campaign pledges on his first week in office by voting for the health care bill.

"I'm the only candidate that can unite the Republican party, the conservative party, the tea party, the 9/12ers and the grassroots of the 23rd district," he said.

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CPAC

CPAC Speaker Condemns CPAC For Allowing Gay Conservative Group (VIDEO)

Eric Kleefeld | February 19, 2010, 5:31PM

Ryan Sorba - California Young Americans For Freedom at CPAC 2010

During a CPAC segment to recognize student conservative activists from across the country, one particular conservative, Ryan Sorba of the California Young Americans for Freedom, denounced CPAC for allowing the gay conservative group GOProud to co-sponsor the event and host a booth. After finishing his short speech against homosexuality as being contrary to the concept of natural rights -- amidst booing from the crowd -- he walked off the stage.

"Just to change the subject for just a second, I'd like to condemn CPAC for bringing GOPride (sic) to this event," said Sorba. The young activist crowd erupted into booing, but Sorbs continued. "Bring it. Bring it. I love it. I love it. I love it.

"Guess what? Guess what? All right, guess what? Civil rights are grounded in natural rights," said Sorba. "Natural rights are grounded in human nature. Human nature is a rational substance in relationship. The intelligible end of the reproductive act is reproduction. Do you understand that? Civil rights, when they conflict with natural rights, are contrary -- hey, you sit down. The lesbians at Smith College protest better than you do. The lesbians at Smith College protest than you do. All right? Bring it."

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Public Option

Reid Speaks On The Push To Pass Public Option Via Reconciliation

Rachel Slajda | February 19, 2010, 4:30PM

Sen. Harry Reid (D-NV)

Over the past week, senators -- 18 so far -- have been signing on to a letter urging Majority Leader Harry Reid to pass a public option using reconciliation. Today, Reid finally spoke on the matter, releasing a statement through a spokesman.

"If a decision is made to use reconciliation to advance health care, Senator Reid will work with the White House, House and members of his caucus in an effort to craft a public option that can overcome procedural obstacles and secure enough votes," the statement reads.

Such an effort would need at least 50 senators on board to be successful. The letter got a boost yesterday when Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY), the third-ranking member of Senate leadership, signed on.

Reid's statement also pointed out that Reid is a supporter of the public option.

"Senator Reid has always and continues to support the public option as a way to drive down costs and create competition. That is why he included the measure in his original health care proposal."

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GOP Shadow Budget

Rep. Issa Prefers Social Security Cuts To Bush '05 Approach (VIDEO)

Christina Bellantoni | February 19, 2010, 3:34PM

Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA)

Rep. Darrell Issa told TPMDC today he would be happy to co-sponsor Rep. Paul Ryan's budget "roadmap" which privatizes Social Security and creates a voucher system for Medicare, saying it it a "much better" approach than President George W. Bush took in 2005.

We interviewed Issa (R-CA) at the Conservative Political Action Conference today, asking about the budget plan which former Majority Leader Dick Armey and others say is a smart plan to end the deficit.

"Paul Ryan did a very good job of teeing up the only possibilities. It's not like we want to do any of those, but the fact is there has to be enough income for the outflow and that's going to include potential changes in age, in means testing and in fact in how we collect revenue all of that has to be part of it," Issa said.

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Barack Obama

WH Getting Close To Finishing Health Care Proposal -- Public Option Not Included

Jillian Rayfield | February 19, 2010, 2:39PM

President Barack Obama talks with Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid in the Oval Office.

What's in the president's health care reform proposal? Not the public option, it seems.

The White House has just about finished outlining the health care reform bill that President Obama will take to his Feb. 25 bipartisan summit, according to at least one report. And it sounds like the proposed compromise will likely contain the Cadillac tax, but not a public health insurance option.

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CPAC

Mission Impossible? In Search of Conservative Rap At CPAC (VIDEO)

Evan McMorris-Santoro | February 19, 2010, 2:18PM

Rapper Hi Caliber

Last night, I hung around the hotel where CPAC is being held for far longer than any reporter should. People like to believe their journalists have lives, and sitting in the corner of a hotel bar mingling with future conservative politicians in various states of of inebriation tends to make it hard to keep up that illusion. But I was on a mission: At 11 p.m. I was going to be front-and-center to witness a "Music Jam" (you know, for the kids) featuring not one, but two conservative rappers.

After listening to hours of speeches, and grabbing handfuls of conservaswag, the conservative youth at CPAC were going to let their crew-cut hair down and boogie. There was no way I was going to miss that. There's only thing I didn't plan for -- conservatives, it seems, don't care about rap.

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Michele Bachmann

Bachmann: I'm Lucky To Represent The Sponsors Of The 'Miss Me Yet?' Bush Billboard (VIDEO)

Eric Kleefeld | February 19, 2010, 2:12PM

Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN)

Speaking at CPAC, Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN) became another conservative speaker to show just how much they still like George W. Bush.

"We really have a great sense of humor in Minnesota. We do, we are very good-humored people, and if you could put the first slide up for me, if you would," said Bachmann -- revealing a picture of the famous billboard in Minnesota, which contains a photo of George W. Bush with the message, "Miss me yet?"

The crowd cheered. Bachmann exclaimed: "You like that! I do, too!"

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Debt Commission

Debt Commission Chairs On Social Security Changes: 'Everything Is On The Table' (VIDEO)

Rachel Slajda | February 19, 2010, 12:08PM

Debt commission chairs Erskine Bowles and Alan Simpson

The co-chairs of President Obama's deficit-reduction commission, Democrat Erskine Bowles and Republican Alan Simpson, told PBS Newshour last night that reform of Social Security and Medicare is on the table.

The president "insisted everything be on the table," said Bowles, a former chief of staff for President Bill Clinton, when asked if the commission would consider "modifying" entitlement programs or raising taxes.

Simpson, who as a senator called for the partial privatization of Social Security, was more frank.

"You have two choices with Social Security. You either raise the payroll tax, or decrease the benefits -- or start 'affluence testing,'" he said. "The rest of it is B.S. And if the people are really ingesting B.S. all day long, their grandchildren will be picking grit with the chickens."

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Brad Ellsworth

Dem Brad Ellsworth To Run For Indiana Senate Seat

Eric Kleefeld | February 19, 2010, 12:06PM

Rep. Brad Ellsworth (D-IN)

Indiana Democrats are on the verge of having a new candidate for the Senate seat of retiring Dem Evan Bayh, with Rep. Brad Ellsworth about to jump in -- though they won't be able to officially have a nominee in legal terms for a little while.

Chris Cillizza and Politico report that sources say Ellsworth is definitely in the race. A high-level Democratic source has also confirmed the news to TPMDC. (Late Update: Ellsworth himself has confirmed it to the local NBC station in Evansville.)

The Indianapolis Star also reports that Democratic state Rep. Trent Van Haaften has filed to run for Ellsworth's House seat. However the Star reports, it turns out that state law will prevent the Dems from being able to select the Senate candidate until after the May 4 primary.

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Steve King

Steve King: 'Know Thine Enemy' -- Liberals, Progressives...Trotskyites, Maoists, Stalinists... (VIDEO)

Eric Kleefeld | February 19, 2010, 11:06AM

Rep. Steve King (R-IA)

Speaking at CPAC, Rep. Steve King (R-IA) quoted the ancient Chinese general Sun Tzu, declaring that conservatives must "know thine enemy."

"Now who are we up against -- and I want to define that enemy," said King. "They are: liberals; they are progressives; they are Che Guevareans, they are Castroites, they're socialists. More enemies on this list: Gramsciites -- ring anybody's bell? -- Trotskyites, Maoists, Stalinists, Leninists, Marxists. They're all our enemies."

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CPAC

Babbin Jokes About Norquist: I'm Glad He Didn't Fly That Plane Into An IRS Building (VIDEO)

Eric Kleefeld | February 19, 2010, 10:26AM

Jed Babbin, editor of Human Events

At the CPAC conference, Human Events editor Jed Babbin introduced Grover Norquist, the top anti-tax conservative activist in the country. During his introduction, Babbin joked about the recent airplane attack on an IRS building in Texas, which reportedly killed both the alleged perpetrator and a person who was in the building.

"And let me just say, I'm really happy to see Grover today," said Babbin. "He was getting a little testy in the past couple of weeks. And I was just really, really glad that it was not him identified as flying that airplane into the IRS building."

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Bipartisanship

Cantor: 'We Will Say No To The Health Care Bill'

Ben Frumin | February 19, 2010, 10:24AM

House Minority Whip Eric Cantor (R-VA)

House Minority Whip Eric Cantor (R-VA) isn't exactly laying the foundation for the bipartisan part of next week's bipartisan health care summit at the White House.

At CPAC this morning, Cantor declared that "we will say no to this health care bill because no is what the American people want."

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2010 elections

Dick Armey To GOP: Be 'Courageous,' Consider Social Security And Medicare Cuts (VIDEO)

Christina Bellantoni | February 19, 2010, 10:08AM

FreedomWorks CEO Dick Armey at CPAC 2010

Former Republican Majority Leader Dick Armey said in an interview that Republicans would be wise to talk straight about making cuts to Social Security and Medicare if they really want to cut the deficit.

TPMDC interviewed Armey at CPAC yesterday, and we asked him about Rep. Paul Ryan's budget roadmap we've been following that cuts privatizes Social Security and creates a voucher system for Medicare.

Armey (R-TX) was an architect of the Contract with America that helped Republicans win control of Congress in 1994. When we asked, he at first danced around the issue but then agreed "Yes," the Ryan plan is the smart way to go if the GOP is "courageous."

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Ginny Brown-Waite

GOP Rep. Brown-Waite To Make 'Major Announcement'

Eric Kleefeld | February 19, 2010, 9:51AM

Rep. Ginny Brown-Waite (R-FL)

Could Rep. Ginny Brown-Waite (R-FL) be retiring? The St. Petersburg Times reports that the fourth-term Congresswoman has scheduled a "major announcement" at the Citrus County GOP's Lincoln Day Dinner tonight:

In a short and cryptic statement, the Brooksville Republican said she would do so "amongst family, friends, longtime supporters and party faithfuls."

Her aides said they did not know what the announcement would be, including how it factors in her re-election bid.

A Republican source told TPMDC that they did not know whether she is retiring. It could be a retirement, the source said, or it could be a re-election announcement or possibly something else.

Joe Sestak

Sestak: White House Offered Me Job To Get Me Out Of Senate Race

Zachary Roth | February 19, 2010, 9:32AM

Rep. Joe Sestak (D-PA)

Did the White House offer Rep. Joe Sestak (D-PA) a top administration job in a bid to get him out of the U.S. Senate race? That's what Sestak claimed in a TV interview yesterday -- but the White House denies it.

Yesterday, reports the Philadelphia Inquirer, Sestak conducted a taping of Larry Kane: Voice of Reason, a cable news show. When Kane put the question to him directly, Sestak answered "yes," but declined to elaborate.

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Kathleen Sebelius

Sebelius: If Senate Leadership Wants A Public Option, Obama Will 'Absolutely' Fight For It (VIDEO)

Jillian Rayfield | February 19, 2010, 9:24AM

Kathleen Sebelius on Rachel Maddow

Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius said last night that if Senate leadership moves forward on a public option, President Obama will "absolutely" fight for it.

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Cal Cunningham

NC-SEN Dem Candidate Cunningham: 'It's Time To End The Filibuster In Its Current Form'

Eric Kleefeld | February 18, 2010, 6:07PM

NC-SEN candidate Cal Cunningham (D)

Cal Cunningham, a candidate for the Democratic nomination for Senate in North Carolina, is now seeking to make reform of the filibuster an issue in his campaign.

In an e-mail sent out to his campaign's supporter list, Cunningham lambastes incumbent Republican Sen. Richard Burr for holding up health care reform. But he says the real problem comes from the Senate's broken processes:

But the real travesty is that an outdated Senate procedural rule, the filibuster, empowers a few dozen obstructionists like Richard Burr to effectively guarantee the special interest groups get their way.

It's time to end the wheeling and dealing that smothers good ideas and stifles real progress in Washington.

It's time to end the filibuster in its current form. If you agree, sign my online petition to tell our elected and party leaders it's time to change the filibuster.

The full e-mail is available after the jump.

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Jeanne Shaheen

Shaheen Signs Public Option Letter, Becomes No. 18

Rachel Slajda | February 18, 2010, 5:56PM

Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH)

Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) has signed a letter urging leadership to pass a public option via reconciliation, the 18th senator to do so.

Shaheen's office confirmed that she signed, following Sens. Chuck Schumer, Barbara Mikulski and Frank Lautenberg today.

The letter was written by Sen. Michael Bennet and will be sent to Majority Leader Harry Reid.

Other signatories so far: Sens. Bernie Sanders (VT), Al Franken (MN), Patrick Leahy (VT), John Kerry (MA), Sheldon Whitehouse (RI), Sherrod Brown (OH), Kirsten Gillibrand (NY), Jeff Merkley (OR), Dianne Feinstein (CA), Roland Burris (IL), Barbara Boxer (CA), Jack Reed (RI) and Tom Udall (NM).

Mary Beth Buchanan

Former U.S. Attorney-Turned-Congressional Candidate, To Talk Radio Host: I Could Sue You For Defamation

Eric Kleefeld | February 18, 2010, 5:42PM

Mary Beth Buchanan

Mary Beth Buchanan, a former Bush-era U.S. Attorney who is now running for Congress in Pennsylvania against Democratic Rep. Jason Altmire, may need to work on how she handles criticism of her tenure in office. Buchanan called into the radio show of local talker Marty Griffin, and apparently threatened him with a defamation suit.

Griffin had just hosted Dr. Cyril Wecht, a forensic pathologist, former Allegheny County Coroner, and prominent Pittsburgh-area Democrat, who had been prosecuted for alleged corruption by Buchanan. Democrats had accused Buchanan of launching a political prosecution -- the announcement of the charges had come close to the 2006 election, and became a data point in the U.S. Attorney scandals of late 2006 and early 2007. The charges were ultimately dropped.

During his interview, Wecht alleged that the case had cost $20 million to prosecute. Buchanan called in to take serious exception to this, saying that it could have only been $500,000 at most -- and told Griffin that he better get his facts right. "And you know, we still have defamation laws in this country. And to the extent that you keep repeating things are flat-out wrong, you're running afoul. That case could not have cost the government more than $500,000, and that's on the outside."

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CPAC

CPAC 2010 Day One: The Return Of Bush-Cheney

Evan McMorris-Santoro | February 18, 2010, 5:31PM

Former Vice President Dick Cheney and Former President George W. Bush

An unlikely pair has taken CPAC by storm -- everywhere you look, people are saying nice things about George Bush and Dick Cheney. The return of Bush and Cheney to Republican good graces is the strongest evidence yet that conservatives are ready to come out of the shadows in the wake of their monumental defeat in 2008.

It wasn't long ago that Republicans, and especially conservatives, were among the last people you'd hear mentioning Bush at all, let alone in a positive light. At CPAC today, it's like those days of shockingly low poll numbers and staggering midterm defeats at the polls never happened. Mitt Romney praised Bush when it was his chance to take the podium. A surprise appearance by Cheney brought the house down.

These are the men who were pushed to side the last time the GOP had a national convention. But today, Bush-Cheney is back.

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Don't Ask, Don't Tell

Liz Cheney Tells TPMDC: Time To End Don't Ask Don't Tell

Christina Bellantoni | February 18, 2010, 4:08PM

Liz Cheney

Liz Cheney, daughter of former Vice President Dick Cheney, said today in an interview it was time for the policy banning gays in the military to end.

"It's time for it to end," she told TPMDC. "The joint chiefs, certainly the chairman of the joint chiefs, has been clear about that and I think that the country really is at a place now where it's time for it to end."

Cheney also left the door open a crack to run for president down the line, though she said it's not her focus. She said the "Draft Cheney" movement here at the Conservative Political Action Conference proves that conservatives have injected fresh energy into the 2012 field.

TPMDC caught up with Cheney this afternoon following her speech to CPAC. We chatted briefly about President Obama's new offensive in Afghanistan terrorism - which she's been talking about through her new Keep America Safe group and the political landscape of 2010.

She said it might have been the wrong decision to mirandize the shoe bomber in 2001, but that she still vehemently opposed Obama's national security policies.

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Chuck Schumer

Schumer Signs Public-Option-Via-Reconciliation Letter

Rachel Slajda | February 18, 2010, 3:32PM

Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY)

Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) has signed a letter urging Democratic leadership to pass the public option via reconciliation.

In a fund-raising email to supporters, Schumer announced that he had signed the letter, becoming the 17th senator to do so. He lauded the "tenacity" of the four senators who originally signed the letter.

"This is far from a done deal, but it's an opportunity to break through the obstructionism Republicans have pushed for the past year," he wrote.

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Michele Bachmann

Bachmann: Social Security A 'Tremendous Fraud' (VIDEO)

Eric Kleefeld | February 18, 2010, 3:06PM

Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN)

Appearing on the Fox Business Network last night, Rep. Michele Bachmann agreed that Social Security is a "tremendous fraud" -- for a very interesting reason.

Fox Business host David Asman complained that Social Security should have been treated as a "lockbox," and not have its tax revenues raided for other federal programs -- exactly the sort of thing for which Al Gore was made fun of by Republicans in 2000, when they were pushing privatization. "Social Security, I think, it is one of the biggest frauds ever perpetrated on the American public. It is supposed to be a lockbox -- a personal safety deposit box for our savings," said Asman. (Much of this is not true, see fact-check below.) "That's how it was designed, that's what it was promised to be. Instead, that box is empty, it's full of these empty IOUs that politicians have put into it, and they've taken the money out and used it for other things."

"You're right, it's a tremendous fraud. No company could get away with this, they'd be thrown in jail if they ever tried to do what the federal government did with people's Social Security money. What we need to do very quickly is take the money that is coming in for Social Security, and truly lock it up so that we aren't putting it out the door anymore," said Bachmann -- who then transitioned to promoting privatization.

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Mitt Romney

Mitt Romney's New Groove Debuts At CPAC

Evan McMorris-Santoro | February 18, 2010, 2:50PM

Former Gov. Mitt Romney (R-MA)

Meet the new Mitt, same as the old Mitt. The first of the 2012 presidential contenders to speak at CPAC, Mitt Romney just finished a fiery, soundbitey, (red) meaty stump speech that should erase the remaining doubts from anyone's mind that he's running for president in two years.

Romney got a huge ovation when he took the stage this afternoon. That's no surprise -- Romney "gets" CPAC, having won the vaunted presidential straw poll at the conference three times in a row. The crowd welcomed Romney, and he made it clear he was happy to see them, too.

"It's good to be back with you," he said to cheers. "I love to be back at CPAC."

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Debt Commission

GOP-ers Likely To Show Up At Debt Commission

Rachel Slajda | February 18, 2010, 2:28PM

Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) and Rep. John Boehner (R-OH)

Despite reports that Congressional Republicans may boycott President Obama's bipartisan debt commission, it seems that the minority leaders likely will participate by appointing members to the group.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell's office confirmed to TPM that he will make appointments to the 18-member commission. (Congressional Republicans are allowed to appoint six members to the panel.) McConnell also released a statement today on what he hopes will be the goals of the panel.

"After trillions in new and proposed spending, Americans know our problem is not that we tax too little, but that Washington spends too much -- that should be the focus of this commission," he said.

House Minority Leader John Boehner's office would not confirm that he will appoint anyone, but a statement from his press secretary makes a point of saying Boehner hasn't ruled it out.

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Sarah Palin

Poll: Americans Don't Think Palin Is Qualified To Be President -- But Some Would Vote For Her Anyway

Eric Kleefeld | February 18, 2010, 1:13PM

Sarah Palin

A new national survey from Public Policy Polling (D) finds that an overwhelming majority of Americans do not think Sarah Palin is qualified to be president -- but a significant number of those people would still vote for her against Barack Obama.

The poll asked "Do you think Sarah Palin is or is not qualified to serve as President?" The answer was only 30% qualified, 59% not qualified, 11% undecided. However, in a direct match-up against President Obama, Palin attracts 43% of the vote to Obama's 50%. This means that there are 13% of Americans who either do not think Palin is qualified to be president, or are undecided on the matter, and would nevertheless vote for her.

"I guess there's easy spin for both sides on that number," writes PPP communications director Tom Jensen. "From my perspective it's astounding that such a significant portion of Americans are willing to vote for someone they don't think is qualified- this is the White House, not American Idol. But I guess Republicans could make the argument that Obama's just so bad that any Republican would be better than him, whether they consider that Republican to be qualified or not."

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CPAC

Cheney Makes Surprise Appearance At CPAC (VIDEO)

Rachel Slajda | February 18, 2010, 12:58PM

Former Vice President Dick Cheney

Former Vice President Dick Cheney just made a surprise appearance at CPAC after his daughter, Liz Cheney, finished her speech.

The crowd went wild, standing up and cheering for several minutes before he began talking. One man yelled, "Four more years!"

"Knock it off!" Cheney said. "A welcome like that is almost enough to make me want to run for office again. But I'm not gonna do it."

He spoke briefly and offered his predictions for the November mid-terms.

"2010 is going to be a phenomenal year, and I think Barack Obama is a one-term president," he said to wild applause.

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CPAC

Exorcising The Ghost Of Arlen Specter At CPAC

Evan McMorris-Santoro | February 18, 2010, 12:26PM

Sen. Arlen Specter (D-PA)

During the first morning of the 2010 CPAC conference, two Democrats were mentioned the most by the speakers at the podium. One was President Obama and the other was Sen. Arlen Specter (D-PA). Both drew the same amount of ire from the crowd.

Unlike Obama, who CPACers have dismissed as merely a teleprompter-reliant celebrity since he debuted on the national political scene in 2004, the relationship between CPAC and Specter is a complicated one. Not only was Specter a Republican for years before switching parties in April, 2009. Specter himself was one of the politicians on the dais at CPAC just three years ago. At the CPAC 2007, Specter was part of a panel on the judiciary called, "Are Conservative Judicial Nominees DOA in the Democrat-Controlled Senate?"

Today, CPACers see him as part of the problem.

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Moneybomb

Palin-Backed Moneybomb Fizzles

Eric Kleefeld | February 18, 2010, 12:06PM

Sarah Palin and WI-07 House candidate Sean Duffy (R)

Sarah Palin's political appeal among the GOP base is undisputed, insofar as it applies to her own political fortunes -- but she might not be able to transfer her popularity to someone else.

Yesterday, in a posting on her Facebook account, Palin promoted a moneybomb fundraiser for Sean Duffy (R-WI), a district attorney and former Real World cast member running against longtime Democratic Rep. David Obey. "On this first anniversary of the stimulus, let's send a message to the big-spenders in Washington by helping Sean Duffy unseat the author of the stimulus," Palin wrote. "Let's put government back on our side and get to work revitalizing America!"

For his moneybomb, Duffy set a very low goal of only $25,000, which seemed like a depreciation of the "moneybomb" term compared to the events that usually attract six figures or even more -- and he still didn't get it. At midnight Central Time last night, the end of the original countdown on Duffy's site, the moneybomb had only taken in $24,585. As of this writing, he has $27,118.

CPAC

Sarah Palin Winning CPAC Glamour Shots War

Christina Bellantoni | February 18, 2010, 11:47AM

Young America's Foundation is boosting its membership list by giving out posters of the two favorite female conservatives

Move over, Ann Coulter! Sarah Palin seems to have bumped the conservative queen from her most-favored status, if poster distribution at CPAC is any indication.

Young America's Foundation made these massive posters of Coulter and Palin and staffers are giving them away free to people who sign up for their mailing list.

Interested takers can get as many copies as they want of a Ronald Reagan "American values for all generations" calendar. They can take dozens of the free Obama posters with the words "Resist the Tyranny of Socialism" inscribed below or "Barack Obama Epic Fail" stickers, but you can only choose one top conservative gal.

TPMDC asked staffers which poster was more popular and they said they weren't keeping track, but we checked the stack and there was only one Palin left, and plenty of Coulter.

One YAF staffer admitted Palin was the hotter ticket item, and said he was disappointed she isn't speaking at CPAC.

Marco Rubio

At CPAC, Rubio Grins At Audience Waterboarding Comment (VIDEO)

Rachel Slajda | February 18, 2010, 11:44AM

Marco Rubio

Florida Senate candidate Marco Rubio opened CPAC this morning, his speech peppered with standing ovations from the crowd. When he spoke about capturing terrorists, one audience member had a suggestion.

"Waterboard them!" the man yelled.

Rubio smiled, and the audience laughed.

"We will capture them," he went on. "We will get useful information from them," he said, to more laughter.

Read more »

IN-SEN

Poll: Potential Dem Candidates Trail GOPers In Indiana Senate Race

Eric Kleefeld | February 18, 2010, 11:36AM

Rep. Brad Ellsworth (D-IN) and Rep. Baron Hill (D-IN)

The new Rasmussen poll of Indiana, the first survey of the Senate race here since Democratic Sen. Evan Bayh suddenly announced his retirement, finds the two most prominent potential Dem replacement candidates trailing the Republicans.

Democratic Rep. Brad Ellsowrth trails former GOP Sen. Dan Coats by 46%-32%, trails former Rep. John Hostettler by 46%-27%, and trails state Sen. Marlin Stutzman by 40%-30%. Democratic Rep. Baron Hill is behind Coats by 48%-32%, trails Hostettler by 49%-31%, and is behind Stutzman by 41%-33%.

Neither Ellsworth nor Hill are officially in the race at this time, and an actual campaign would likely boost the eventual candidate's name recognition and poll numbers somewhat. But for now, at least, the Democrats appear to start out this open-seat contest significantly behind.

Frank Lautenberg

Lautenberg Signs Public Option Letter

Rachel Slajda | February 18, 2010, 11:28AM

Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ)

Sen. Frank Lautenberg (NJ) has become the 16th Democratic senator to sign a letter calling for passing a public health care option via reconciliation.

Lautenberg's office confirmed to TPMDC that he signed the letter, which was written by Sen. Michael Bennet (D-CO) and will be sent to Majority Leader Harry Reid. Passing the provision via reconciliation would require 51 votes.

Earlier today, Sen. Barbara Mikulski signed the letter.

You can read the letter here.

Michele Bachmann

Americans United Launches Radio Ad Against Bachmann's 'Wean' Comments About Social Security (AUDIO)

Eric Kleefeld | February 18, 2010, 11:23AM

Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN)

Americans United For Change has a new radio ad up in Rep. Michele Bachmann's (R-MN) district, hammering the Congresswoman for saying that the country should "wean" people off of Social Security and Medicare.

"Congresswoman Bachmann actually said we should be 'weaned' off our Social Security and Medicare," a woman says. "She wants to privatize Social Security and replaced Medicare with some kind of voucher system that won't even cover the full cost of medical care or prescriptions."

This radio ad could leave the impression that Bachmann would want to take current retirees or those about to retire out of the system. From her previous statements, it would appear that she would preserve the program for those people who already receiving benefits.

To be exact, Bachmann said: "So, what you have to do, is keep faith with the people that are already in the system, that don't have any other options, we have to keep faith with them. But basically what we have to do is wean everybody else off. And wean everybody off because we have to take those unfunded net liabilities off our bank sheet, we can't do it."

Read more »

Barbara Mikulski

Mikulski Signs On To Public Option Letter, Bringing Number To 15

Rachel Slajda | February 18, 2010, 10:55AM

Sen. Barbara Mikulski (D-MD)

Sen. Barbara Mikulski (D-MD) has signed onto a letter calling for Senate leadership to insert a public option into the health care reform bill via reconciliation.

Mikulski's office confirmed to TPMDC that she signed the letter this morning. She is the 15th senator to sign onto the letter, written by Sen. Michael Bennet (D-CO), which will be sent to Majority Leader Harry Reid.

Greg Sargent reports today that Sens. Barbara Boxer (CA), Jack Reed (RI) and Tom Udall (NM) have also added their names to the letter.

Under reconciliation, 51 senators would have to vote for the provision.

Read more »

CPAC

At CPAC Rubio Calls GOP Resurgence 'Single Greatest Pushback' In History

Christina Bellantoni | February 18, 2010, 10:52AM

Former Florida House Speaker Marco Rubio (R-FL)

Senate candidate Marco Rubio (R-FL) got the party started this morning at the Conservative Political Action Conference with an uplifting speech that offered the promise of both hope and change.

Rubio warned repeatedly he thinks the Obama administration is attempting to "redefine" the role of government from spending to fighting terrorism.

He didn't talk about Republicans but said there is energy in the conservative movement.

"From tea parties to the election in Massachusetts we are witnessing the single greatest pushback in American history," Rubio said, to cheers.

Read more »

Debra Medina

TX-GOV Candidate Medina To Speak Alongside Anti-Government 'Oath Keepers' Activists

Eric Kleefeld | February 18, 2010, 10:08AM

TX-Gov. candidate Debra Medina (R)

Debra Medina, the Tea Party activist and candidate in the Texas Republican gubernatorial primary who has attracted attention for her favorable comments about 9/11 Truthers and Birthers, is also involved with another extreme ideological movement: The Oath Keepers.

Will Bunch at the Philadelphia Daily News points out that Medina will appear this Sunday at an event in San Antonio, called "Taking Back Texas." The other two top-billed speakers are Stewart Rhodes, founder of the Oath Keepers movement, and Oather activist Richard Mack, a former sheriff of Graham County, Arizona.

The Oath Keepers, as detailed on their Web site, are a group that calls upon active and veteran members of the military, police and firefighters to take an oath that they will not obey any order they deem unconstitutional. The list of unconstitutional orders include enforcement of gun laws, detention of American citizens as enemy combatants, and impositions upon state sovereignty. The latter trends into areas of nullification -- an early 1800's ideological predecessor of secession, arguing that a state can unilaterally refuse to recognize a law of the federal government: "We will NOT obey orders to invade and subjugate any state that asserts its sovereignty and declares the national government to be in violation of the compact by which that state entered the Union."

CPAC

CPAC Day One Showcases Contested Primary Kingmaker

Christina Bellantoni and Evan McMorris-Santoro | February 18, 2010, 10:05AM

Sen. Jim DeMint (R-SC)

Things are getting under way at the Conservative Political Action Conference this morning, and one theme already has emerged. CPAC day one kicks off with a keynote speech from Marco Rubio, a darling of the right who is challenging Florida Gov. Charlie Crist in a Republican primary for the U.S. Senate.

Rubio has been collecting endorsements from national conservatives who say Crist is too moderate to win a contested race for the open seat.

CPAC today will showcase not just Rubio but grassroots activists attempting to harness new energy among conservatives before the fall elections. Also prominent on the stage is Sen. Jim DeMint, one of the most conservative senators serving, who for the last few months has been choosing sides in contested primaries like the one in Florida.

"He's one of us and he's tough," American Conservative Union's David Keene said of DeMint (R-SC) this morning when introducing the senator, who will detail Rubio's biography before his keynote.

Read more »

Jobs

Dems Looking For GOP Votes On Jobs Bill; GOP Not Interested

Rachel Slajda | February 18, 2010, 9:38AM

Sen. McConnell (R-KY) Sen. Reid (D-NV)

With a vote coming up Monday to begin debate on a jobs bill, Democrats are hoping they can get a few Republican votes for cloture. But the Republicans are looking to block the bill, even though they support its content, claiming instead that they've been mistreated by Democrats.

A Democratic leadership aide tells TPMDC that they might have the votes for cloture -- but it "all depends on Republicans."

"We are hoping that Republican senators like Scott Brown will oppose the will of their leadership, and buck the demands of Republican lobbyists who are busy scheming to defeat Senator Reid's legislation as we speak," the aide said.

But an aide for Minority Leader Mitch McConnell criticized Democrats for not allowing amendments on the bill.

It's a "bizarre first vote to have after all the bipartisan talk," the aide said.

Read more »

Health Care

Anthem Rate Hikes Just Tip Of Iceberg - Premiums Going Way Up In Six More States

Christina Bellantoni | February 18, 2010, 7:00AM

Kathleen Sebelius and Blue Cross Anthem inset

Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius today will release a new report showing more dramatic health insurance premium increases are proposed in Connecticut, Maine, Michigan, Oregon, Rhode Island and Washington.

Keying off the Obama administration's recent probe into a planned 39 percent rate hike from Anthem Blue Cross in California, Sebelius will detail large increases in six other states and say that given record insurer profits, health care reform has never been more urgent.

At 11:30 a.m. today, Sebelius will release the report, obtained by TPMDC and titled "Insurance Companies Prosper, Families Suffer: Our Broken Health Insurance System."

It finds that Anthem's rate increase (now delayed until May) is "not unique" and that experts say premiums will keep rising.

Read more »

Health Care

Enzi Boasts About His Role In Delaying Health Care Reform

Laura Colarusso | February 17, 2010, 7:23PM

Sen. Mike Enzi (R-WY)

Sen. Mike Enzi (R-WY) is proud of how he helped stop health care reform from passing.

"If I hadn't been a part of the debate, you would already have universal health care," Enzi said Monday, according to a report in the Casper Star-Tribune.

Enzi was part of the infamous "Gang of Six" senators tasked with putting together a health care compromise that both Democrats and Republicans could vote for. However, no Republicans wound up supporting the final bill, which squeaked by in the Senate with a vote of 60 to 40.

Earlier today, Enzi became the first Republican to accept an invitation to the White House's health care summit.

Patty Murray

Tea Partier Calls For Patty Murray To Be Hanged (VIDEO)

Evan McMorris-Santoro | February 17, 2010, 6:50PM

A Tea Party meeting in Asotin County, WA this weekend featured all the normal facets of the movement we've come to expect -- there were the firebrand speeches and the call to "save our nation." But according to one report, the meeting also had a darker side.

KLEW-TV reports:

"How many of you have watched the movie Lonesome Dove?," asked one speaker from the podium. "What happened to Jake when he ran with the wrong crowd? What happened to Jake when he ran with the wrong crowd. He got hung. And that's what I want to do with Patty Murray."

Read more »

Tom Ganley

Report: Ohio Tea Partier Switching From Senate To House Race

Eric Kleefeld | February 17, 2010, 6:26PM

OH-SEN candidates Tom Ganley (R) and Rob Portman (R)

Tom Ganley, an auto dealer who had been seeking the Republican Senate nomination in Ohio, is expected to switch races and instead run for a House seat, against incumbent Democratic Rep. Betty Sutton. This is a big gain for former Rep. Rob Portman, the frontrunner for the Republican nomination, who now has a clear path through the primary.

Ganley had been attempting to mount an anti-establishment, Tea Party-linked campaign against Portman, but polls had consistently shown him failing to catch on. Reports indicate that a Ganley internal poll had shown him running well against Sutton. On paper, though, Sutton's district could be a tough climb for Ganley. It voted 57%-42% for Barack Obama in 2008, and before that it voted 56%-44% for John Kerry in 2004.

However, as CQ points out, Ganley will be able to transfer his $1.3 million cash on hand from the Senate race (much of it self-financed) over to the House race. By comparison, Sutton had only $210,000 cash on hand as of December 31.

Bernie Sanders

Sanders Signs Letter Calling For Public Option Through Reconciliation Process

Eric Kleefeld | February 17, 2010, 4:09PM

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT)

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) has added his name to a letter from a group of progressive Senators, calling for the public option to be included in the health care bill through the reconciliation process.

"At a time when there is deep skepticism and mistrust of the private insurance industry, when just last month a major health insurer in California announced it would raise its premiums by a whopping 39 percent in one fell swoop, the American people have made it clear that they want the option to buy their insurance through a Medicare-type, government-run public insurance plan," Sanders said in a press release.

Eight other Senators have signed the letter so far. Its original signatories Michael Bennet (D-CO), Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), and Jeff Merkley (D-OR), released the letter yesterday. Four others -- Al Franken (D-MN), John Kerry (D-MA), Patrick Leahy (D-VT), and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) -- signed on earlier today.

Bob McDonnell

Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell Rolls Back Non-Discrimination Protections For Gay State Workers

Christina Bellantoni | February 17, 2010, 3:22PM

Virgina Gov. Bob McDonnell

Gay and lesbian state workers in Virginia are no longer specifically protected against discrimination, thanks to a little-noticed change made by new Gov. Bob McDonnell.

McDonnell (R) on Feb. 5 signed an executive order that prohibits discrimination "on the basis of race, sex, color, national origin, religion, age, political affiliation, or against otherwise qualified persons with disabilities," as well as veterans.

It rescinds the order that Gov. Tim Kaine signed Jan. 14, 2006 as one of his first actions. After promising a "fair and inclusive" administration in his inaugural address, Kaine (D) added veterans to the non-discrimination policy - and sexual orientation.

Read more »

Health Care

Are We There Yet? Health Care Summit Could Be Final Play Before A Merged Bill Passes

Christina Bellantoni | February 17, 2010, 2:26PM

Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), President Obama, and Sen. Harry Reid (D-NV)

Key House Democrats said today they think the White House health care summit will yield some sort of final agreement allowing Congress to pass a compromise reform measure and get it to President Obama's desk.

When and how remain large outstanding questions, but lawmakers stressed Obama's invitation to bipartisan members to the televised summit is among the last steps on the long road to reform.

Rep. Loretta Sanchez (D-CA) said on a conference call with reporters today they are "not starting from scratch" despite Republicans calls to do just that.

Rep. Chris Van Hollen said repeatedly the compromise is 90 percent done, and said Obama would put "all the facts on the table" and give Republicans another chance to present their ideas.

"The House and Senate are very close to reaching a final agreement," Van Hollen said.

Read more »

Rick Santorum

The Re-Emergence Of Rick Santorum -- From Ex-Senator To Potential Presidential Candidate

Eric Kleefeld | February 17, 2010, 1:47PM

Former Sen. Rick Santorum (R-PA)

Former Sen. Rick Santorum (R-PA), who was defeated for re-election in 2006 by a whopping 18-point margin, has been slowly but surely re-emerging on the political scene -- and could be a presidential candidate in 2012.

Over the last few months, Santorum has built up a schedule of visits to the top three primary and caucus states: He has already made two trips to South Carolina, one in December and another in January; he visited Iowa this past October, and will be headed back in March; and he just announced a trip to New Hampshire on April 30.

A month ago, Santorum stepped up the rhetoric in an e-mail sent to his supporters. "I promise you, I will stop at nothing when it comes to defending our freedom and our values," Santorum wrote. "That's the real reason why - after talking it over with my wife Karen and our kids - I am considering putting my name in for the 2012 presidential race." So let's take a brief look at what else he's done over the past year.

Read more »

Polls

Meet The Tea Partiers: Male, Rich and College Educated

Evan McMorris-Santoro | February 17, 2010, 1:27PM

A new CNN poll sheds light on who makes up the Tea Party movement. According to the results, tea partiers are richer, more male and have more education than the general population.

Eleven percent of respondents to the poll said that they had in someway participated in the tea party movement, either by going to a rally, donating money, or "taking some other active step to support the movement." The demographics among that 11% are much different from the rest of the U.S. population.

"Of this core group of Tea Party activists, 6 of 10 are male and half live in rural areas," CNN reports. "Nearly three quarters of Tea Party activists attended college, compared to 54 percent of all Americans, and more than three in four call themselves conservatives."

Read more »

Polls

Poll: Dems Should Pass Their Agenda -- The People Against It Weren't Voting For Them Anyway

Eric Kleefeld | February 17, 2010, 11:26AM

A new national survey from Public Policy Polling (D) suggests that Democrats should go ahead and pass major initiatives such as health care reform and allowing gays to serve in the military. If they don't pass these things, the poll suggests, the people who are against it won't vote for them anyway.

The poll's top-line finds 37% of Americans saying they definitely will not vote Democratic for Congress this fall, 34% will definitely vote for the Dems, and the remainder are up for grabs. The poll shows that 50% oppose the health care bill, with 39% for it -- thanks to a 94%-1% opposition among the people who won't vote Democratic. The poll also found a 54% majority in favor of gays in the military, to 37% against it, with people who will or potentially could vote Democratic favoring it 72%-24%, and those who won't vote Democratic opposing it by 59%-25%.

"Congressional Democrats really need to decide if they're going to let their agenda be dictated by voters who won't support them no matter what they do," writes PPP communications director Tom Jensen. "These numbers provide pretty clear evidence that most of the voters opposed to health care and repeal of DADT will not consider voting Democratic even if the party decides not to move on those issues."

CPAC

The Who, What, Where and When Of CPAC 2010

Evan McMorris-Santoro | February 17, 2010, 11:08AM

The 2009 Conservative Political Action Conference

Haberdashers in D.C. are stocking up on bowties and there's not a Ronald Reagan biography to be found in an airport bookstore anywhere. It can only mean one thing -- CPAC is just around the corner. From every corner of the country, young conservatives are pouring in to the District for the 37th annual Conservative Political Action Conference, which kicks off tomorrow morning in D.C.'s posh Woodley Park neighborhood.

This year's conference promises to be one of the most boisterous. Fired up on polls showing the Democratic party losing its grip on Congress and conservatives surging across the country, the CPAC of this year will not be the collective self-examination of what's wrong with the GOP that last year's was. This time around, attendees won't be looking back. A year after Democrats took power in Washington, the agenda for this year's CPAC shows a conservative movement ready for its comeback.

Read more »

Health Care

Four More Senators Sign Call For Public Option Reconciliation

Evan McMorris-Santoro | February 17, 2010, 11:06AM

Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), President Obama, and Sen. Harry Reid (D-NV)

Four more Democratic Senators have signed on to yesterday's letter calling on Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid to use reconciliation to pass health care through the Senate with a public option included.

The new signatures come from four more progressive Senators: Al Franken (MN), Patrick Leahy (VT), John Kerry (MA), and Sheldon Whitehouse (RI).

(h/t Greg Sargent)

Joe the Plumber

Joe The Plumber: 'Absolutely Not,' I Don't Support McCain's Reelection To The Senate (VIDEO)

Eric Kleefeld | February 17, 2010, 10:31AM

Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) and Joe 'The Plumber' Wurzelbacher

During an interview on Sean Hannity's TV show last night, Joe "The Plumber" Wurzelbacher said that he does not support the reelection of Sen. John McCain (R-AZ), whose campaign made him famous as an icon of conservatives during the 2008 election.

"And you know, I went around with John McCain because it was the lesser of two evils, to be quite frank. You know, I'm not afraid to say that," said Wurzelbacher, discussing his experience in 2008. "John McCain exactly doesn't represent true conservatism. He does represent the Republicans, but not true conservatism."

Hannity asked Wurzelbacher whether he would support McCain's reelection. "Absolutely not. I mean that's what the Tea Party movement is against. You know, John McCain is of Washington. He's a career politician. He's had plenty and ample opportunities to fix things and get things done, and yet here we are," said Wurzelbacher. "I mean, he's just the face of what's going on in Washington. And I'm not necessarily trying to pick on John McCain. I mean, we need to get rid of most of those guys that are in there that are career politicians -- your Barbara Boxers, your Nancy Pelosis."

Read more »

CPAC

Tea Party Crashing Establishment CPAC To Hang With 'Fellow Conservatives'

Christina Bellantoni | February 17, 2010, 9:16AM

A protester outside the U.S. Capitol

The Conservative Political Action Committee is the most establishment of all the gatherings on the right, but the tea partiers will be in on the action.

When CPAC kicks off tomorrow in Washington, members of the tea party movement will be on hand. They are sort of strange bedfellows, since tea party members insist they aren't about the Republican party and CPAC is viewed as the marquis event for the GOP and its potential presidential candidates. As we've been writing, Republicans across the country have been trying to harness the tea party energy for their own races as anti-establishment sentiment sweeps the nation in the leadup to the midterm elections.

There are plenty of divisions from within the tea party umbrella as well - a split between groups like the Tea Party Nation which charged $549 for its recent convention and citizens who say the last thing they want is to be an official third party.

Despite these fissures, top officials with tea party groups will speak and the documentary about the Tea Party will be on hand. Rapper Hi-Caliber, who stars in Tea Party material, even plans to perform.

Read more »

Citizens United

Poll: Everyone Hates The Citizens United Ruling

Evan McMorris-Santoro | February 17, 2010, 8:45AM

The United States Supreme Court

New numbers from the ABC News/Washington Post poll reveal Americans of all political stripes are overwhelmingly upset with the Supreme Court's decision to allow more corporate money into electoral politics.

As the Post reports, the results from the poll are undeniably negative toward the decision. Sixty-five percent of respondents said they were "strongly opposed" to the ruling, with 72% saying they supported congressional action to reinstate the campaign fundraising limits the Supreme Court removed in the Citzens United case.

The negativity cuts equally across party lines, according to the poll.

Read more »

Michele Bachmann

Bachmann Joins Sing-Along With Birther Lyric (VIDEO)

Eric Kleefeld | February 16, 2010, 6:24PM

Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN)

Here's another fun moment from Rep. Michele Bachmann's (R-MN) event on Friday with the North Dakota Republican Party: The Congresswoman joined in on a sing-along on the main stage, for a song that contained a Birther-themed lyric.

The event (for which we posted a general write-up yesterday) included entertainment by a country music cover group, the Johnny Holm Band. After the political speeches and comments from attendees were finished, the lights went out and the crowd got to enjoy a nice party, in the non-political sense of the term. Before the festivities really got rolling, however, Johnny Holm led the crowd in a sing-along to the tune of "The Battle of New Orleans, " with altered lyrics that he'd learned recently while traveling. He first taught the crowd the words.

The opening line: "In 1961, Obama came along / Born in Honolulu -- 'course I couldda got it wrong." Bachmann can be seen joining the musicians on stage, but it's unclear whether she sang that specific line (the audio on the stream cuts out at various points, including here), though she can be heard singing at least part of the song. And it's clear that she got on stage even after that lyric was out in the open.

Read more »

2010 elections

Poll: Americans Itching To Vote Out Incumbents, Including Obama

Evan McMorris-Santoro | February 16, 2010, 6:11PM

President Barack Obama

The message from the new CNN poll out today couldn't be more clear: if you're an incumbent politician in America these days, you'd better shape up or you'll be shipped out by angry voters. As in other polls, respondents in the CNN survey continue to support removing incumbents from Congress. But for the first time in a long time, their own representative wasn't shielded from the throw the bums out mentality.

Neither was President Obama. As Greg Sargent pointed out this afternoon, 52% of respondents the poll said Obama does not deserve to be reelected. Only 44% say he Obama deserves a second term.

Read more »

Health Care

Health Care Spat As GOP Tells Gibbs He's Dueling With Straw Man

Christina Bellantoni | February 16, 2010, 5:59PM

House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-OH)

Will Republicans attend the health care summit at the White House next week?

They've voiced their loud complaints, and the White House has fired back, saying the GOP is hypocritical since the Republicans called for the televised meeting to begin with.

White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said today the Republicans haven't yet accepted the invitation that President Obama's staffers sent on Friday.

We can't get a straight answer out of Republicans, but not for lack of trying.

Read more »

John Boozman

Boozman On Ryan's Social Security Plan: 'We Are Considering All Proposals'

Rachel Slajda | February 16, 2010, 5:49PM

Rep. John Boozman (R-AR)

As we look into which Republicans support Rep. Paul Ryan's (R-WI) budget plan -- especially the parts that would partially privatize Social Security and dismantle Medicare -- we now have Rep. John Boozman (R-AR) on the record.

"Social Security and Medicare face great challenges and we are considering all proposals to make these programs successful for future generations. I haven't cosponsored any legislation at this point but when I do it will be a plan that is supported by the people of Arkansas," he said in a statement to TPMDC.

Boozman, who is running for Sen. Blanche Lincoln's (D-AR) Senate seat, sent TPMDC a similarly noncommittal statement about Ryan's overall budget last week.

Read more »

Health Care

Gibbs Says GOP Will Need To Explain Why They Now Oppose Health Care Summit They Called For

Christina Bellantoni | February 16, 2010, 3:29PM

White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs

White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said today the proposed insurance rate hikes from Anthem Blue Cross in California that we've been writing about will serve as a backdrop for President Obama's health care summit next week.

Gibbs struck an ominous tone, suggesting that if reform doesn't pass now, there are more increases to come. It's an issue the Democrats seized on recently as they attempt to push a final measure over the goal line.

"People are getting letters in the mail now. They got them in California. Your health insurance is going to go up almost 40 percent from last year to this year. That's a preview of what's going to happen if we don't do anything," Gibbs said.

Read more »

IN-SEN

Indiana Senate Race Could Set Off Another Open-Seat Race -- For The House

Eric Kleefeld | February 16, 2010, 3:03PM

Rep. Brad Ellsworth (D-IN) and Rep. Baron Hill (D-IN)

The scramble for a new Democratic Senate candidate in Indiana, with the sudden retirement of Sen. Evan Bayh and his expected replacement by the state Democratic Party, has seen a lot of attention focused on some of the state's Democratic House members -- which could in turn set off an additional scramble to fill one of their seats, should they decide to run.

A Democratic source in Indiana filled us in on the possible candidates for the seats of three Dem House members who could conceivably become the new Senate nominee: Joe Donnelly, Brad Ellsworth and Baron Hill. (Most speculation has centered on Ellsworth and Hill, though Donnelly is not out of the question, either.) If any of these three were to accept the Democratic nomination for Senate and subsequently vacate their own nominations for the House, the party would go through an internal process to replace them as Congressional candidates.

The Democratic Party precinct chairs within the district, who are elected from each of the state's election precincts, would meet for a caucus at which they would vote for a new candidate. If more than two people were to run for a seat, and nobody were to win a majority at first, voting would continue until somebody reached 50-percent-plus-one. In this kind of process, different local allegiances and records in office can have a genuine role to play among the hundreds of people voting in the contest. "Needless to say, that is a more interesting process than the state mechanism," the source said.

Read more »

Health Care

Dem Senators Call On Reid To Use Reconciliation To Pass HCR With A Public Option

Evan McMorris-Santoro | February 16, 2010, 2:32PM

Sen. Harry Reid (D-NV)

Progressive senators are calling on Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid to use reconciliation to end the health care reform deadlock. In a letter co-signed by Sens. Mike Bennet (D-CO), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Sherrod Brown (D-OH), and Jeff Merkley (D-OR) today, the group calls on Reid to use reconciliation to pass health care reform with a public option attached.

"Although we strongly support the important reforms made by the Senate-passed health reform package, including a strong public option would improve both its substance and the public's perception of it," the senators write. "The Senate has an obligation to reform our unworkable health insurance market -- both to reduce costs and to give consumers more choices."

Read more »

Evan Bayh

FEC Rules Give Bayh Room To Decide What To Do With His $13 Million War Chest

Evan McMorris-Santoro | February 16, 2010, 1:37PM

Former Sen. Evan Bayh (D-IN)

For years, thousands of donors have poured millions of dollars into Sen. Evan Bayh's (D-IN) coffers, helping him to establish a war chest of contributions that most politicians would give their right arm to have. But now that Bayh's decided not to run for reelection, the decision of what to do with the $13 million in campaign cash he has left will be Bayh's alone. Not surprisingly, people are already lining up to get a piece.

FEC rules dictate what Bayh can do with his campaign money, but within their confines is a lot of leeway for Bayh to reward political allies or establish a beach head for future electoral politics. The choice is his alone.

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2010 elections

GOP Challenges Bayh: Delay Primary To Remove Appearance Of Dems' Gamesmanship

Christina Bellantoni | February 16, 2010, 12:43PM

Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX)

The Indiana Democrats are on the verge of not holding a primary to choose a nominee for the U.S. Senate, something retiring Sen. Evan Bayh seems to have no problem with and which has a longshot candidate crying foul.

Now the Republicans are getting in on the action, with National Republican Senatorial Committee Sen. John Cornyn challenging Bayh to change the process since it seems like an unfair.

This could end up being a key point, especially given how the Republican party faced serious trouble in New York's 23rd Congressional district after selecting a candidate from behind a closed door.

Bayh announced he won't seek reelection yesterday, leaving Democrats with little wiggle room to get a candidate on the primary ballot since 4,500 signatures (500 from each Congressional district) are due today.

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Tamyra d'Ippolito

County Official: d'Ippolito Has Only Three Signatures Filed With Us -- Won't Qualify For Ballot

Eric Kleefeld | February 16, 2010, 12:25PM

IN-SEN candidate Tamyra d'Ippolito (D) and Sen. Evan Bayh (D-IN) (inset)

Terry Burns, the Democratic member of the Board of Voter Registration in Marion County, Indiana, informs TPMDC that Tamyra d'Ippolito does not have the required ballot-petition signatures needed to run in the Democratic primary for Senate. In fact, he said, she hardly has any in his area.

In Indiana, petitions are submitted within the county where the signatures upon it were collected. The deadline to do this was noon today. Petitions are then reviewed and certified by the counties, and forwarded on to the state. In order to appear on the primary ballot for Senate, a candidate must have collected 500 signatures within each of the state's nine Congressional districts. Marion County, the home of Indianapolis, has the 7th District located entirely within its borders -- so if d'Ippolito doesn't have at least 500 signatures in this one county alone, getting on the ballot would be out of the question.

"We received this morning three signatures. And that is all we have received, so she will not qualify to be on the ballot," said Burns. He also added: "Once the noon deadline passes, that's it." In addition, only two of the signatures came from the 7th District -- the other was from the 5th District, which is partially located within Marion County.

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Tamyra d'Ippolito

Conservatives Working To Get Longshot Dem On IN-Sen Ballot

Ben Frumin | February 16, 2010, 11:23AM

IN-SEN candidate Tamyra d'Ippolito (D)

Tamyra d'Ippolito is getting some help she didn't ask for.

A cafe owner who's seeking the Democratic nomination to the Senate seat currently held by Evan Bayh, d'Ippolito can't quite seem to figure out whether she has enough signatures to get on the primary ballot and all but assure herself the Democratic nomination.

But what does seem certain is some conservatives are encouraging their followers to help round up signatures for a candidate they seem to view as not quite ready for prime time.

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Blanche Lincoln

Sierra Club Targeting Blanche Lincoln Over Clean Air Act (AUDIO)

Evan McMorris-Santoro | February 16, 2010, 11:22AM

Sen. Blanche Lincoln (D-AR)

The Sierra Club is up with a new radio ad campaign targeting Sen. Blanche Lincoln (D-AR) over what the group calls her "her decision to co-sponsor legislation that would undermine the Clean Air Act."

The Club is the second group to take to the airwaves to attack Lincoln over her decision to join an amendment by Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) that would block the EPA from regulating greenhouse gas emissions. Last month, MoveOn.org ran several TV ads attacking Lincoln for co-sponsoring the measure.

Audio of the new Sierra Club spot and video of MoveOn's ad after the jump.

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Tamyra d'Ippolito

Indiana Dem Chairman: No, d'Ippolito Does Not Have 4,500 Ballot Signatures -- She Has 22

Eric Kleefeld | February 16, 2010, 11:16AM

IN-SEN candidate Tamyra d'Ippolito (D)

In an interview with TPMDC, Indiana Democratic Party Chairman Dan Parker strongly denied that cafe owner Tamyra d'Ippolito has obtained the necessary ballot-petition signatures to appear on the ballot in the Dem primary for Senate -- disputing d'Ippolito's earlier claim to have to have obtained the 500 required in each of the state's nine House districts.

"I am monitoring the situation with our boards of voter registration and our county clerks' offices. Those are the places where petitions have to be submitted for certification," said Parker. "They have to be certified in the counties and then brought to the Secretary of State's office by Friday. As of this moment, other than Evan Bayh, there's one candidate, who is a Democratic candidate [d'Ippolito], who has 22 signatures statewide."

As we have reported, Democrats were apparently expecting that nobody would successfully file for the Senate seat, given the fact that Bayh dropped out a day before the petitions were due. Under Indiana law, the state Democratic Party's central committee has the authority to name a new candidate. If d'Ippolito is indeed able to make the ballot, then the Dems would have to find some other means to get a different candidate -- or else have her as their nominee.

Tamyra d'Ippolito

D'Ippolito: I Have Enough Signatures To Get On The Ballot For IN-SEN Dem Primary

Eric Kleefeld | February 16, 2010, 10:43AM

IN-SEN candidate Tamyra d'Ippolito (D) and Sen. Evan Bayh (D-IN) (inset)

Tamyra d'Ippolito, a cafe owner who has been seeking the Democratic nomination for the Senate seat currently held by Evan Bayh, just told TPMDC that she does have the minimum number of ballot-petition signatures need to get on the ballot for the Democratic primary. If her petitions do in fact work out, that would seriously complicate the efforts by the party to pick a new candidate to replace Bayh, the retiring incumbent Democrat, on the ballot this November.

In order to appear on the primary election ballot for Senate, a candidate in Indiana must obtain 500 petition signatures in each of the state's nine House districts -- and the deadline is today. Yesterday, d'Ippolito said she was about 1,000 short of the overall goal of 4,500. However, she said, in the last day signatures picked up considerably -- and she is prepared to fight any potential efforts by the Democratic Party to have enough signatures invalidated to put her below the quota.

"We have enough signatures and we're ready to go to court. We're ready to fight," said d'Ippolito. "And yes it's politics, and I'm sure there are certain Democrats, I hope they are the minority, I'm sure there are certain Democrats who will try those underhanded activities. I hope they would be wiser not to take that road."

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Stimulus

Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell Then: Stimulus Bad. Now: Thanks For The Cash!

Christina Bellantoni | February 16, 2010, 10:02AM

Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell

Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell is now offering effusive praise for $24 million in federal funds that allowed him to establish an office of Health Information Technology and to fund a program helping Virginia doctors transition to electronic medical records.

Just one problem - he thinks the government shouldn't have spent that money to begin with.

One year ago, McDonnell told reporters the stimulus plan "is not going to be good long-term for America," though he did say according to the Virginian-Pilot that the Commonwealth should still "collect its share of the stimulus anyway."

Last summer, the Roanoke Times reported that McDonnell said the stimulus created more problems than it solved.

Yesterday, McDonnell (R) lauded Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius for "advancing such a critical issue."

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Joe Lieberman

Lieberman Would Have Shown Dem Prez Candidates The Love In '08 Campaign - But No One Asked

Christina Bellantoni | February 16, 2010, 8:55AM

Sen. John McCain (R-AZ), Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-CT), and Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC)

Sen. Joe Lieberman nearly became the first person in history to be the vice presidential nominee for two different parties, but it turns out one reason he so fully embraced Republican Sen. John McCain during the presidential campaign is that none of his fellow Democrats asked for his help.

In 2007, Lieberman (I-CT) was reviled by Democrats who supported him being booted from his caucus thanks in part to the Iraq war. It should not have been much of a surprise that Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton weren't racing for an endorsement.

But it was to Lieberman, according to an account described in the book "Game Change" and confirmed to me by Lieberman's office.

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Frank Lautenberg

NJ Sen. Frank Lautenberg Recuperating After Fall

Evan McMorris-Santoro | February 15, 2010, 11:48PM

Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ)

The Newark Star-Ledger reports that Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ) was hospitalized this evening after taking a fall at his New Jersey home. The paper reports Lautenberg is in good spirits and has been kept overnight for "observation."

Lautenberg, 86, is New Jersey's senior senator and is currently in his fifth term representing the state. On Friday, the paper reports, he returned from Haiti, which he had visited as part of a bipartisan Congressional delegation that ventured to the recovering island nation.

Mitt Romney

The Romneys Fall Victim To Air Rage On Canadian Flight

Evan McMorris-Santoro | February 15, 2010, 11:02PM

Former Gov. Mitt Romney (R-MA)

Mitt Romney was an apparent victim of air rage on a flight home from the Vancouver Winter Olympics this afternoon. The Toronto Globe And Mail reported the story this evening:

The man sitting in front of Mr. Romney's wife dropped his seat back and when Mr. Romney asked him to move it upright for takeoff, the man became "physically violent." Another report said that the man tried to strike Mr. Romney.

According to reports, Romney "did not retaliate" to the attack.

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Evan Bayh

Bayh Calls Lack Of Primary To Replace Him A Good Thing On Call With Dems

Evan McMorris-Santoro | February 15, 2010, 6:43PM

Former Sen. Evan Bayh (D-IN)

On a conference call with county Democratic Party chairs this afternoon, Sen. Evan Bayh and Indiana Democratic Party Chair Dan Parker declared that not having a Democratic primary to find a replacement for the retiring Bayh would have its upsides, according to a source who was on the call.

Bayh opened the call by repeating the reasons for not seeking reelection he mentioned in his press conference today, the source said. But in a message tailored for his audience of local party officials, Bayh said the timing of his announcement could be a positive for Democrats. The source said that Bayh told the call that the lack of a primary would mean that the Republican party candidates would attack each other on their own, with no Democrats to get in the way. On the Democratic side of the process, according to the source, Bayh said officials would choose a strong nominee from their "deep bench."

"He said, 'if this goes to the state committee then we'll have selected a candidate without a divisive primary,'" the source told me this evening.

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IN-SEN

Crowded GOP Field Eyeing Bayh Seat In Hoosier State

Christina Bellantoni | February 15, 2010, 3:37PM

Former Sen. Dan Coats

Indiana Republicans are feeling a lot more confident about their chances to pick up Sen. Evan Bayh's Senate seat this fall, but it's looking like there will be a 5-way GOP primary.

As we've been reporting, candidates have until tomorrow to submit 4,500 signature petitions to qualify for the ballot. They have until Friday to file paperwork with the Secretary of State.

A spokesman for the Indiana Republican Party told TPMDC there will likely be four or five candidates who meet the threshold to appear on the May 4 primary ballot.

"We're going to let the primary play out," the spokesman told me.

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Michele Bachmann

Bachmann Blasts Taxes, Spending And Debt Under Obama -- Falsely Claims Bush Only Built Up $400 Billion In Debt

Eric Kleefeld | February 15, 2010, 2:39PM

Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN)

Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN) headlined an event on Friday for the North Dakota Republican Party, and lambasted President Obama for what she saw as his historically terrible handling of the nation's finances. The only problem, however, was that her pronouncements didn't bear much resemblance to reality.

Bachmann argued that "there is no moral equivalency" between the admitted over-spending of the Bush administration compared to the Obama presidency. "Because if you look at the debt level accumulated under George W. Bush, 400 some-odd billion dollars, President Obama in his first year in office accumulated $1.4 trillion, over four times more than that big spending George Bush -- and that was after 911 and the recessions and all that he had to deal with and the two wars. Over four times," said Bachmann.

"As a matter of fact, President Obama spent so much money that if you took all the debt that we accumulated from George Washington, every president up until Barack Obama, President Obama accumulated more debt in eight months than all previous presidents combined. Combined. That gives you context for the times we're living in."

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IN-SEN

Brad Ellsworth Considering Senate Bid

Christina Bellantoni | February 15, 2010, 2:33PM

Rep. Brad Ellsworth (D-IN)

Rep. Brad Ellsworth is considering throwing his hat in the ring to run for Sen. Evan Bayh's Senate seat, saying today he wants feedback from his family and his constituents.

Ellsworth (D-IN), elected in 2006 when the Democrats took over Congress, lauded Bayh in a statement just released from his office and says the senator will be missed.

He adds that he's already been encouraged to seek the seat.

"I heard about the news during my annual Open Door Listening Tour this morning, and I appreciate the support of those Hoosiers who have already encouraged me to run for Senator Bayh's seat," Ellsworth said.

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Evan Bayh

Bayh: 'I Do Not Love Congress'

Eric Kleefeld | February 15, 2010, 2:24PM

Sen. Evan Bayh (D-IN)

Sen. Evan Bayh (D-IN) just officially announced his retirement from the Senate, with a clear message: He doesn't like Congress.

"For some time I've had a growing conviction that Congress is not working as it should," said Bayh. As a prime example, he referred to the recent filibustering of legislation to create a bipartisan fiscal commission. What particularly bothered Bayh was that it was defeated by Senators who had previously been co-sponsors of the measure itself, but then blocked it for what he described as political reasons.

"To put it in words I think most people can understand, I love working for the people of Indiana, I love helping our citizens make the most of their lives," said Bayh. "But I do not love Congress."

Bayh's full prepared remarks are available after the jump.

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2010 elections

Ouch! Bayh Called Obama But Not Harry Reid

Christina Bellantoni | February 15, 2010, 12:54PM

Sen. Evan Bayh (D-IN)

The news about Sen. Evan Bayh opting not to seek reelection had been out for an hour before Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid heard from him.

As we reported earlier, Bayh (D-IN) phoned President Obama this morning about his decision.

But an aide to Reid tells us that Bayh called the majority leader at about 11:45 a.m. to let him know.

During his 2 p.m. press conference Bayh will say that partisan gridlock in Washington is one reason he's bowing out.

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Tamyra d'Ippolito

Another Dem Already In Race For Bayh's Seat -- But Doesn't Have The Needed Signatures Yet

Eric Kleefeld | February 15, 2010, 12:39PM

IN-SEN candidate Tamyra d'Ippolito (D)

Indiana Democrats appear to be on a course to name a candidate for Evan Bayh's Senate seat, given the high unlikelihood that another candidate could successfully file the necessary ballot petitions with the state this week in order to enter the primary. But, there is in fact at least one other candidate besides Bayh who was already seeking to get on the ballot.

So, how is Tamyra d'Ippolito, a cafe owner in Bloomington, doing with collecting the 500 petition signatures in each of the state's nine House districts (a requirement that Bayh's campaign had already fulfilled, according to Democratic sources and published media reports)? The deadline to complete the filing process is this week.

On a phone call just now, d'Ippolito told me that she is not yet at the goal: "We're working feverishly here."

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2010 elections

Surprise! Bayh's Choice Leaves State Party Officials Choosing Replacement Candidate

Christina Bellantoni | February 15, 2010, 11:40AM

President Obama and Sen. Evan Bayh (D-IN)

Sen. Evan Bayh had already collected the 4,500 ballot-petition signatures needed to run in this year's Indiana Democratic primary, and his last-minute decision not to run leaves the Indiana Democratic Party in the position of having to select its candidate itself. There probably isn't a realistic way for anyone to gather the signatures needed by this week's deadline.

A Democratic source told TPMDC that Bayh's campaign did polling last week and found the senator was ahead of Republican Dan Coats, a candidate who just jumped in the race. Bayh had completed all the petitions for the race, which are due this week, the source said.

R.J. Gerard, communications director for the Indiana Democratic Party confirmed to TPMDC that the state Democratic Party would be able to select a new candidate to run in November's general election if no one files petitions with 4,500 signatures (500 within each of the state's nine House districts) to run in the primary.

The petitions must be filed with the county clerk's office by Tuesday. Then candidates have until Friday to file with the Secretary of State for the primary ballot. The lack of another Democrat will mean there is a vacancy, leaving it to the state party's State Central Committee to choose a candidate at its June 30 meeting.

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Evan Bayh

Indiana Dem Sen. Evan Bayh To Retire

Eric Kleefeld | February 15, 2010, 10:57AM

Former Sen. Evan Bayh (D-IN)

In a big development for the 2010 elections, Sen. Evan Bayh (D-IN), one of the key centrist Democrats in the Senate, will not seek re-election this year, a Democratic source confirms to TPMDC.

Bayh's official reason is that he simply does not want to serve in the Senate anymore. "After all these years, my passion for service to my fellow citizens is undiminished, but my desire to do so in Congress has waned," Bayh will say at a press conference, according to prepared remarks obtained by the Indianapolis Star.

"Even in the current challenging environment, I am confident in my prospects for re-election," Bayh will also say. "But running for the sake of winning an election, just to remain in public office, is not good enough."

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Joe the Plumber

Joe The Plumber On John McCain: 'I Don't Owe Him Sh-t'

Evan McMorris-Santoro | February 15, 2010, 10:34AM

Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) and Joe 'The Plumber' Wurzelbacher

Samuel Wurzelbacher, the man better known to America as Joe The Plumber, is backing away from the man who made him the C-list celebrity he is today, Sen. John McCain. In an interview with Pennsylvania public radio reporter Scott Detrow over the weekend, Wurzelbacher lashed out at McCain, who turned Wurzelbacher into the mascot of his 2008 presidential campaign.

"I don't owe him shit," Wurzelbacher told the Detrow. "He really screwed my life up, is how I look at it."

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Health Care

GOP Decries Obama Strategy For Health Care Summit And Calls For Starting Over

Christina Bellantoni | February 15, 2010, 10:25AM

President Obama speaks at a bipartisan White House gathering with Minority Leader John Boehner (R-OH) in the background.

The invitations had barely landed in Congressional inboxes before Republican leadership started calling President Obama's upcoming White House health care summit a "backroom deal."

The Obama administration's invitation to the Feb. 25 summit informs members that text of a "proposed health insurance reform package" will be posted online before the meeting. A White House official tells TPMDC that the text will be the product of the discussions that have been ongoing between the House and Senate since each chamber passed their bills last year.

That's the sticking point for the GOP, who say Obama is inviting them to a meeting but doesn't really want their ideas if he already has a draft bill.

"A productive bipartisan discussion should begin with a clean sheet of paper," Minority Leader John Boehner (R-OH) said in a statement this weekend.

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IA-GOV

In Iowa, Another Democratic Gov In Trouble

Evan McMorris-Santoro | February 15, 2010, 9:54AM

Iowa Gov. Chet Culver (D) is the latest Democratic governor to find himself in trouble in the polls ahead of the 2010 elections. As the Hotline's Steve Shepard reports, the latest Des Moines Register poll shows Culver, first elected as Governor in 2006, trailing his most prominent potential GOP opponent, former Gov. Terry Barnstad, by more than 20 points.

Culver isn't the only sitting Democratic governor in poll trouble. Gov. Ted Strickland (D-OH) is locked in a tight race with Rep. John Kasich (R), the likely GOP gubernatorial nominee in the state. In Massachusetts, incumbent Gov. Deval Patrick (D) is locked in a tight reelection contest many observers say it will be tough for him to win.

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Health Care

California Insurer's Rate Hike Becomes Rallying Point For Health Care Reform

Christina Bellantoni | February 15, 2010, 9:09AM

President Barack Obama

Anthem Blue Cross' proposed 39 percent rate increases in California have become a new rallying point for the Obama administration and Democrats eager to get health care reform across the finish line.

The issue gives President Obama and Democrats a new enemy that can help drive home the need to fix the health care system, and they won't be letting up any time soon, administration and Congressional sources tell TPMDC.

There will be Congressional hearings this month and Obama has held it up as an example.

Already they have seen results, with Anthem agreeing to delay the hikes until May.

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Roundup

TPMDC Sunday Roundup

Eric Kleefeld | February 14, 2010, 1:08PM

Vice President Joe Biden and former Vice President Dick Cheney

Cheney: Obama Administration Should Thank Bush, Admit They Were 'Just Dead Wrong' On Iraq
Appearing on This Week, former Vice President Dick Cheney attacked the Obama administration's handling of Iraq and other national security issues. "They opposed the surge that was absolutely crucial to our getting to the point we're at now with respect to Iraq. And for them to try to take credit for what's happened in Iraq strikes me as a little strange," said Cheney. "I think if -- if they had had their way, if we'd followed the policies they'd pursued from the outset or advocated from the outset, Saddam Hussein would still be in power in Baghdad today. So if they're going to take credit for it, fair enough, for what they've done while they're there, but it ought to go with a healthy dose of 'Thank you, George Bush' up front and a recognition that some of their early recommendations, with respect to prosecuting that war, were just dead wrong."

Biden: Cheney 'Trying To Rewrite History'
Appearing on Meet The Press, Vice President Joe Biden fired back at his predecessor Dick Cheney's frequent criticism of the administration. "I'm not gonna guess about [Dick Cheney's] motive. All I know is he's factually, substantively wrong, on the major criticisms he is asserting. Why he's insisting on that - he either is misinformed or he is misinforming. But the facts are that his assertions are not accurate," said Biden, who also added: "It's almost like Dick is trying to rewrite history. I can understand where the-- why that would be, you know, an impulse."

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