Marijuana legislation

Sen. Boxer Opposes California Initiative To Fully Legalize Marijuana

Christina Bellantoni | April 2, 2010, 5:32PM

Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-CA)

Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-CA) does not support a push to fully legalize marijuana in California, an initiative she will share the ballot with this fall. As we reported earlier, California voters will decide whether to legalize -- and tax -- marijuana. The state already allows for medicinal marijuana use.

I asked Boxer's campaign her position. Campaign manager Rose Kapolczynski issued a statement detailing the senator's stance on the measure, which qualified for the ballot last week.

Senator Boxer does not support this initiative because she shares the concerns of police chiefs, sheriffs and other law enforcement officials that this measure could lead to an increase in crime, vehicle accidents and higher costs for local law enforcement agencies," Kapolczynski said. "She supports current law in California, which allows for the use of medicinal marijuana with a doctor's prescription."

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FL-SEN

Giuliani To Campaign With Rubio -- Revenge Against Crist?

Eric Kleefeld | April 2, 2010, 5:24PM

Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani (R) and former Florida House Speaker Marco Rubio (R-FL)

Marco Rubio's campaign has announced that he'll be welcoming a special guest to Florida to campaign with him: Ex-New York City Mayor and former presidential candidate Rudy Giuliani, who will join Rubio in Miami on Monday.

This race has some interesting history that might possibly appeal to Rudy, involving Rubio's opponent in the Republican primary for Senate, Gov. Charlie Crist. According to the Mark Halperin/John Heilemann book Game Change, Giuliani ended up banking his whole campaign on winning Crist's endorsement in the Florida primary, and the two camps had engaged in very close negotiations.

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Marijuana legislation

Competitive CA Ballot Complicated By Pot Initiative

Christina Bellantoni | April 2, 2010, 2:45PM

Demonstrators march in Santa Barbara to support medical marijuana

Advocates who want to take California's medical marijuana law to the next level so it can be fully legalized and taxed are putting the political argument in terms they think everyone in the nearly bankrupt state can understand -- pot can be the next cash crop. With competitive statewide races for governor and Senate on the fall ballot as well, legalizing pot may well be the next frontier in the culture war.

Advocates who succeeded in getting the legalization measure on the Nov. 2 statewide ballot say it's an obvious solution for the Golden State's fiscal woes. Detractors of the Regulate, Control and Tax Cannabis Act of 2010 come in many cases from law enforcement. Others fear that because marijuana is still illegal under federal law, the state would be targeted in a lawsuit.

Supporters of full legalization -- medical marijuana is allowed in California -- say they hope the federal government takes a close look at what they believe will be a winning issue this fall. They say the Obama administration has taken a look-the-other-way approach as more states legalize medicinal marijuana.

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Barack Obama

Obama Flip Flops On Drilling--But Was He Right Then Or Now?

Brian Beutler | April 2, 2010, 2:40PM

President Barack Obama

When President Obama announced that he would open vast swaths of America's coastline up to offshore drilling, the media, and even some of Obama's greatest allies were quick to point out that he'd reversed an early campaign pledge.

"What wouldn't do a thing to lower gas prices is John McCain's new proposal -- a proposal adopted by George Bush as well -- to open up Florida's coast line to offshore drilling," Obama said on June 20, 2008, standing in front of a Florida shoreline. "Offshore drilling would not lower gas prices today. It would not lower gas prices tomorrow. It would not lower gas prices this year. It would not lower gas prices five years from now."

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OH-SEN

Poll: GOPer Portman Has Narrow Lead In Ohio Senate Race

Eric Kleefeld | April 2, 2010, 2:02PM

Ohio Senate candidate Rob Portman (R)

The new Rasmussen poll in Ohio gives Republican candidate Rob Portman a small lead in the open Senate race for the seat of retiring GOP Sen. George Voinovich.

Portman, a former Congressman and Bush administration official, leads Democratic Lt. Gov. Lee Fisher by 43%-38%, and leads Dem Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner by 45%-38%. These numbers are not significantly changed from Rasmussen's poll last month.

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Repealing health care

Corker Takes Step Back From Repeal 'Not Going To Happen' Claim

Rachel Slajda | April 2, 2010, 1:54PM

Sen. Bob Corker (R-TN)

Sen. Bob Corker (R-TN), who earlier this week said repeal of health care reform is "not going to happen," has somewhat backed off the claim. Corker told the Weekly Standard today that he meant it won't happen until at least 2012.

"I think a lot of people are talking about this election cycle generating results that will repeal it," he said. "It's an issue as simple math. I mean as long as Obama's [president], it takes 67 votes in the Senate for that to occur."

But he suggested that Republicans may try to thwart the law other ways in the meantime.

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Michele Bachmann

Bachmann: Pelosi Tried To Incite Tea Partiers By Walking Through Crowd (VIDEO)

Eric Kleefeld | April 2, 2010, 12:41PM

Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN)

Appearing on Sean Hannity's TV show last night, Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN) accused the Democrats of trying to incite Tea Partiers to make racist statements against Democrats in order to discredit conservatives -- specifically citing Speaker Nancy Pelosi's dramatic march to the Capitol two weeks ago, during the health care debate.

"Well, remember, President Obama brought his campaign manager back into the White House to sell this health care deal. And there's been a continuing mantra through the conclusion of trying to pass health care," said Bachmann.

"Remember when Speaker Pelosi walked arm in arm in a civil rights march across Independence Avenue, from the House buildings over to the Capitol. In three years I have never seen Nancy Pelosi cross the street the way that you saw in that picture. They deliberately went through that crowd, perhaps to try and incite something."

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Financial Reform

Are Democrats Too Confident About Wall Street Reform?

Brian Beutler | April 2, 2010, 11:22AM

Sen. Chris Dodd (D-CT)

You'd think that after watching the four month health care fight turn into a year-long game of legislative Calvinball, Democrats wouldn't take anything for granted. But when it comes to financial regulatory reform, they're downright assured: they're going to get a bill, and it's not going to require any concessions to the GOP.

This confidence manifests itself in many ways.

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AZ-SEN

Poll: McCain Leads Hayworth In GOP Primary By 15 Points

Eric Kleefeld | April 2, 2010, 11:17AM

Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) and former Rep. J.D. Hayworth (R-AZ)

The new Daily Kos/Research 2000 poll of Arizona gives Sen. John McCain a big lead over his challenger in the Republican primary, former Rep. J.D. Hayworth.

The numbers: McCain 52%, Hayworth 37%, with a ±4% margin of error. There is no previous Research 2000 poll of this race for direct comparison. A Rasmussen poll from two weeks ago -- before Sarah Palin visited Arizona for a high-profile campaign appearance with McCain last week -- gave McCain a somewhat narrower lead.

The current TPM Poll Average gives McCain a lead of 48.3%-40.3%.

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AR-SEN

Everything's Coming Up Halter: Money, Polls Suggest He's The Real Deal

Evan McMorris-Santoro | April 2, 2010, 10:19AM

Lt. Gov. Bill Halter (D-AR) and Sen. Blanche Lincoln (D-AR)

Lt. Gov. Bill Halter is proving himself to be a force to be reckoned with in the Arkansas Democratic Senate primary. Just a month after announcing his insurgent candidacy against Sen. Blanche Lincoln, Halter is beating her badly in the fundraising race and is polling better than her against Republican opponents.

Yesterday, Halter's campaign announced it raised more than $2 million since the campaign kicked off on March 1. That's double the "more than $1 million" Lincoln's campaign told the AP she raised in the past three months.

Suddenly, Lincoln's $4 million war chest -- thought my many before Halter got in to be insurmountable -- doesn't seem so intimidating. Halter's still got a long way to go to beat her, but right now the momentum is entirely on his side.

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Health care lawsuits

Washington Attorney General Suing Over Health Care Says It's Not A 'Right'

Christina Bellantoni | April 2, 2010, 9:46AM

Attorney General Rob McKenna (R-WA)

Washington Attorney General Rob McKenna said yesterday that state officials suing the federal government over health care reform are in active conversations to try and convince the rest of the nation's attorneys general to join.

McKenna (R) said in an online chat hosted by the Seattle Times that he does not believe health care is a "right" and deflected critics who believe that the lawsuit he and more than a dozen other states have joined will not be upheld.

"Health care as 'right' is a policy argument, not found in the law," McKenna said. "Supporting this lawsuit means that the Constitution still matters and that every law has to be constitutional in its details, and the rest of the unchallenged law is unaffected."

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Polls

CBS Poll: Obama's Approval Falls Since Health Care Bill Passage

Eric Kleefeld | April 2, 2010, 9:42AM

President Barack Obama

The new CBS poll has President Obama's approval rating reaching a record low, with only 44% approving of his performance, and 41% disapproving.

The 44% approval number is down from 49% two weeks ago, a five-point decline since the health care bill passed, and disapproval is unchanged. Other polls have shown Obama enjoying at least a temporary bounce immediately after the bill was signed, but this poll at least suggests a decrease in the span of two weeks.

Also from the poll: "When it comes to health care, the President's approval rating is even lower -- and is also a new all-time low. Only 34 percent approved, while 55 percent said they disapproved."

2010 elections

First-Quarter Fundraising Roundup -- Day One

Eric Kleefeld | April 1, 2010, 6:43PM

Fmr. Nevada GOP Chair Sue Lowden and Sen. Harry Reid (D-NV)

Here are some of the latest pieces of fundraising news in races from across the country, as the first-quarter money results start to come in:

• Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV), who is in danger of losing his seat this year, raised $1.5 million, and has over $10 million on hand.

• Former Nevada GOP Chair Sue Lowden, one of the candidates for the Republican nomination against Reid, raised $500,000. She has pledged to self-finance to match her individual donations, so this would bring in another $500,000 for a total of $1 million.

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Republicans

Tony Perkins On Steele's RNC: 'If You Can't Run A Party, You Can't Run A Country'

Christina Bellantoni | April 1, 2010, 5:45PM

Family Research Council President Tony Perkins

Family Research Council's Tony Perkins today defended his group's decision to ask donors give to individual candidates instead of to the Republican National Committee given recent problems there.

Speaking on MSNBC this afternoon, Perkins said the RNC -- and its spending and the flap over a staffer expensing a trip to a bondage-themed nightclub -- is "tone deaf" to social conservatives.

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Barack Obama

Offshoring Up Support: Obama Looks For Help From Democrats On Climate-Energy Legislation

Brian Beutler | April 1, 2010, 5:15PM

President Barack Obama

Was President Obama's big announcement yesterday that he plans to open vast swaths of the U.S. coastline to oil and natural gas drilling necessary to win Democratic support for comprehensive climate and energy legislation?

Though members of Congress and the media were thrown for a loop by the news, the announcement came as little surprise to others, particularly key Senate Democrats. This, they've accepted, is the price that must be paid to bring oil-patch Democrats into the fold on a more comprehensive energy bill.

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2010 elections

Beyond The Thunderdome: Top Political Cage Matches Of 2010

Evan McMorris-Santoro | April 1, 2010, 3:42PM

Inset (clockwise): Gov. Charlie Crist (R-FL), a still from Carly Fiorina's "FCINO" web video, Rep. Alan Grayson (D-FL) and Rep. Tom Perriello (D-VA)

Two candidates enter, one candidate leaves -- all campaigns are essentially a fight to the political death. But most of the fights are in the style of pro-wrestling: scripted, predictable and (sorry to be the one to break this to you) frankly pretty fake.

Sometimes, however, candidates are forced to enter The Octagon. A few races each cycle turn into full-on, no-holds-barred brawls that would make a UFC fan cringe. No one knows who'll come out on top, but it's a good bet that everyone will get at least a little bloodied.

After the jump, our list of this year's top political cage matches.

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Repealing health care

Republicans Back Off Health Care Repeal Pledges

Christina Bellantoni | April 1, 2010, 2:49PM

Rep. Mark Kirk (R-IL), Sen. Bob Corker (R-TN) and Sen. Richard Burr (R-NC)

Republican promises to repeal health care have gone from full speed ahead to ... we'll see.

As Democrats are out celebrating the passage of the sweeping health care reform package, some Republicans are having second thoughts. Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich went from promising repeal at campaign events to admitting recently on Fox that President Obama would veto any repeal legislation should the GOP win back control of Congress. Hence the new "repeal and replace" push from Republicans.

But several Republicans have gone even farther in recent days, backing away from repeal pledges.

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2010 elections

No Special Election For Massa's House Seat?

Eric Kleefeld | April 1, 2010, 2:44PM

Governor David Paterson (D-NY) and former Rep. Eric Massa (D-NY)

It's starting to look like there might not be any special election for the House seat formerly held by ex-Rep. Eric Massa (D-NY), who dramatically resigned last month in a scandal involving allegations of sexual harassment of male aides, a scenario that would leave the seat vacant until at least this November.

Maggie McKeon, a spokeswoman for Gov. David Paterson, told Gannett that no decision has been made on whether to fill the seat before the regular November 2 election -- and that issues of cost would work against it. "We have some serious concerns about the financial impact that a special election could have on the county level, especially because those counties are facing the same fiscal crisis that the state is facing," said McKeon.

If there were an election for this seat, the Republicans would have a pretty good chance of carrying it. The district voted for John McCain by 50%-48% in 2008, while at the same time Massa picked up the seat by a 51%-49% margin in a very Democratic year.

Al Franken

O'Reilly Lectures Blogger On Etiquette: Don't Disrespect Al Franken (VIDEO)

Eric Kleefeld | April 1, 2010, 12:53PM

Sen. Al Franken (D-MN) and Bill O'Reilly

Something truly amazing happened last night on The O'Reilly Factor: Bill O'Reilly scolded his guest, Human Events editor and video blogger Jason Mattera, for being rude to O'Reilly's long-time nemesis, Sen. Al Franken (D-MN).

Mattera posted a YouTube video a week and a half ago of himself conducting an ambush interview of Franken in the Capitol Hill hallways, in which Mattera asked questions about the health care bill and then frequently interrupted Franken as he attempted to answer. At one point, he addressed Franken as "Sen. Smalley," referring to Franken's old Saturday Night Live character Stuart Smalley, the neurotic self-help talk show host. The term "Sen. Smalley" has become a term of derision for Franken among the right.

And for that particular slight, O'Reilly chewed Mattera out.

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Earmarks

Three Congressmen Defy GOP Earmark Ban, Face Losing Committee Seats

Rachel Slajda | April 1, 2010, 12:37PM

Rep. Ron Paul (R-TX), Rep. Joseph Cao (R-LA) and Rep. Don Young (R-AK)

Three Republican congressmen have defied their party's decision to ban all earmarks for one year, a move that could cost them their committee posts.

According to the New Orleans Times-Picayune, Reps. Anh "Joseph" Cao of Louisiana and Ron Paul of Texas have joined Rep. Don Young (AK) in requesting earmarks for the 2011 fiscal year, despite a House Republican caucus vote this month to institute a moratorium on earmarks for one year.

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Hypocrisy

DCCC: No Joke, Republicans Are Hypocrites

Christina Bellantoni | April 1, 2010, 11:41AM

President Obama signed the $787 billion stimulus plan into law Feb. 17, 2009

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee is getting in on the April Fools' Day action, adding new Republicans to their "Hypocrisy Hall of Fame" for lauding the stimulus bill they opposed.

The National Republican Senatorial Campaign Committee went the funny video route to go after Democrats, but the DCCC chose to put out a release keying off the theme.

"Not an April Fools' Day Joke: 70 Percent of House Republicans Caught Claiming Credit for Jobs They Opposed," the DCCC headlined the release, obtained by TPMDC. "So far 128 House Republicans have tried to claim credit for creating jobs they tried to stop and the only thing missing is the part when they yell April Fools! ... even on April Fools' Day, voters will see what a joke the Republican hypocrisy is," DCCC spokesman Ryan Rudominer said in the release.

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Financial Reform

Frank On GOP Opposition To Wall Street Reform: Bring It On (VIDEO)

Brian Beutler | April 1, 2010, 11:04AM

Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA)

Congressional Democrats are counting on the potent politics of regulating Wall Street to force a handful of Senate Republicans to break a filibuster on a significant reform bill. And to remind those Republicans just how charged the issue of regulatory reform is, Dems--particularly in the House--are practically daring Republicans in the upper chamber to filibuster the bill.

"This is a bring-it-on moment," said House Financial Services Chairman on MSNBC last night.

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Health care lawsuits

Getting Wacky Out There -- Health Care Lawsuits Spark Calls For Impeachment And Twitter Throwdowns

Christina Bellantoni | April 1, 2010, 10:58AM

Clockwise: Michigan AG Mike Cox (R), Georgia AG Thurbert Baker (D), South Carolina AG Andre Bauer (R), Nevada Gov. Jim Gibbons (R) and Virginia AG Ken Cuccinelli (R)

Passing health care reform may have sometimes seemed like a circus. The shenanigans surrounding lawsuits attempting to declare it unconstitutional are starting to look like the sideshow.

Lawsuits are popping up in 15 states, dividing top officials and creating confusion among citizens who want to know how their Medicaid may change. But they also have thrust attorneys general seeking higher office and national notoriety into the spotlight. There have been calls for a Constitutional convention, impeachment and even Twitter throwdowns.

Michigan Attorney General Mike Cox (R) tweeted last night that Gov. Jennifer Granholm (D) was wrong that he was backing down from the lawsuit.

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Health Care

Romney: There Are 'A Number Of Similarities' Between My Health Care Plan And Obama's

Eric Kleefeld | April 1, 2010, 10:26AM

Former Gov. Mitt Romney (R-MA)

Mitt Romney is continuing to walk a tight-rope on the similarities between his Massachusetts health care plan and the new national health care reform law from President Obama. During an appearance Tuesday night at Emory University, Romney acknowledged that there are "a number of similarities" between the two, while simultaneously opposing Obama and even favoring court challenges.

"If you lose a job or change a job, you won't lose your insurance. Everybody in Massachusetts is able to keep insurance throughout their life. It's not taken away from them. So it's portable," said Romney, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports. "No. 2, you can't be canceled if you have a pre-existing condition or if you become ill once you're insured. So in that respect, it's very similar."

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Blanche Lincoln

Party-Bucking Lincoln To Black Audience: Sure, I Helped Obama! (VIDEO)

Brian Beutler | April 1, 2010, 9:49AM

Sen. Blanche Lincoln (D-AR)

It's tough being Blanche Lincoln these days. Her approval ratings are in the tank, and she faces a bleak reelection landscape, assuming she defeats her primary challenger. By and large, she's dealt with this reality by distancing herself from the Democratic party, in an at-times heavy handed fashion--so why is she now paying for an ad that boasts, "[w]hen Blanche Lincoln, our U.S. Senator, helped President Barack Obama pass health care reform, the tea party and insurance companies attacked her. But she didn't back down"?

It's because that ad is running on black radio.

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AZ-SEN

Immigration Issue Gets Ugly In McCain Primary Fight

Evan McMorris-Santoro | April 1, 2010, 9:14AM

Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) and former Rep. J.D. Hayworth (R-AZ).

Sen. John McCain's (R-AZ) call for the deployment of troops to the U.S. border with Mexico has set off a war of words over immigration in the Arizona GOP Senate primary. Rep. J.D. Hayworth, who's trying to defeat McCain for the GOP nomination by attacking him from the right, immediately called McCain's plan a cynical political ploy that takes advantage of the death of an Arizona rancher. The McCain campaign, not surprisingly, says it's simply shocked anyone would accuse him of playing politics with the issue.

"I'm glad John McCain has decided to join the effort to secure our borders," Hayworth said in a statement. "I only wish this same passion and fervor had come sooner. One day of anger and outrage does not make up for 28 years of inaction."

But he also went farther, suggesting that McCain was using the death of Arizona rancher Robert Krentz -- who neighbors say was recently shot to death by someone who crossed the border illegally onto Krentz' southern Arizona ranch -- to run away from a record on immigration reform that's left him vulnerable to attacks from the right.

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AFL-CIO

AFL-CIO Withholds Support From Holden In Primary Over Health Care Vote

Brian Beutler | April 1, 2010, 9:02AM

Rep. Tim Holden (D-PA)

House Democrats who weren't there for the party on the final health care vote are starting to see the consequences. Despite long enjoying the support of organized labor, Rep. Tim Holden (D-PA) will not be receiving an endorsement from the Pennsylvania AFL-CIO in his primary campaign against challenger Sheila Dow Ford.

"He's been good to us on a number of bread-and-butter issues, but this was a revolutionary, historical vote," Pennsylvania AFL-CIO President Bill George told the Republican Herald in an interview yesterday. And that means they'll be withholding their vigorous door-to-door campaign.

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Repealing health care

Corker: Health Care Won't Be Repealed

Rachel Slajda | March 31, 2010, 5:40PM

Sen. Bob Corker (R-TN)

Sen. Bob Corker (R-TN) says to forget about repealing health care reform.

"The fact is that's not going to happen, OK?" Corker said today at Vanderbilt University. He also said last week that repeal is "probably not going to be practical."

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Health Care

Chamber To Spend $50M On Anti-Health Care Reform Campaign

Christina Bellantoni | March 31, 2010, 12:59PM

President Barack Obama and Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Tom Donohue

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce will spend $50 million on an election campaign around bashing health care reform that the Wall Street Journal called "an aggressive strategy to blunt the impact of the new law." The new push for the 2010 midterm elections adds to a more than $144 million ad campaign the chamber mounted on behalf of its business membership in the last year against passage of the measure.

The Wall Street Journal detailed a letter that Chamber President and CEO Thomas Donohue sent board members outlining the strategy. "The Chamber is going to carry a message across the country that says the health care debate is not over," Mr. Donohue wrote, according to the Journal. He wrote members that the chamber will put together a team of staffers to evaluate the federal regulations included in the law.

The chamber was a major player in ad spending and campaigns to challenge health care reform during the long debate in Congress, and the news is a signal that won't let up any time soon. As we've been reporting, health care and charges to repeal the law or declare reform unconstitutional in court have emerged as a key 2010 campaign theme.

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Kay Bailey Hutchison

Hutchison Makes It Official: She's Not Resigning From The Senate

Eric Kleefeld | March 31, 2010, 11:58AM

Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX)

Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX) officially announced this morning that she will not resign her seat in the United States Senate, reversing her earlier plans to leave office before the end of her term in 2012.

Hutchison had previously challenged incumbent Gov. Rick Perry in the Republican primary, and had planned to resign during the primary itself. She later changed her mind about resigning during the primary, but had kept the door open to resigning afterward. Perry ultimately won the March 2 primary. Hutchison's new decision comes after many Republicans, including the Republican leadership and the state's 20 GOP House members, had asked her to stay.

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2010 elections

Poll: Dems Lead In Key Ohio Races

Eric Kleefeld | March 31, 2010, 10:43AM

Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner (D-OH) and Lt. Gov. Lee Fisher (D-OH)

The new Quinnipiac poll of Ohio shows the Democratic candidates leading in the gubernatorial race, plus the election for the open Senate seat of retiring Republican Sen. George Voinovich -- with the potential for a Democratic turnaround in the wake of the health care bill's passage.

In the Senate race, Democratic Lt. Gov. Lee Fisher and Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner were each tested against Republican Rob Portman, a former Congressman and former Bush administration official. Fisher leads Portman by 41%-37%, and Brunner has an edge of 38%-37%. In February, Portman led Fisher by 40%-37%, and led Brunner by 40%-35%. The margin of error is ±2.5%. The TPM Poll Average gives Portman an edge of 39.6%-38.6% over Fisher, and a 39.4%-38.1% edge over Brunner, with recent movement in the Democrats' direction.

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Health Care

Now Comes The Hard Part -- States Scrambling To Understand Health Care Reform Law

Christina Bellantoni | March 31, 2010, 10:36AM

Democrats in Washington have popped the champagne and are basking in the political victory of passing health care reform. But back in the states, government officials are starting the real work of implementing the plan. And it's more chaotic than celebratory.

Health care reform is barely one week old, and state health officials are scrambling to inform their citizens about what it actually means. It's a task that's not so easy when it's preceded by a yearlong political fight and comes against a backdrop of more than a dozen lawsuits across the country challenging the legitimacy of reform. Not that a massive overhaul of the health care system would ever be easy to explain.

TPMDC has been checking in with state health offices from the Mountain West to the Sunshine State to find out how officials are handling the major question of what the states must do under the new law. President Obama's administration is helping state officials learn what's in the law, and the various dates its provisions take effect. Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius met with state health officials at a conference Monday to outline the law. Insurance commissioners gathered to talk about new regulations on insurers over the weekend. Top Congressional staffers are huddling today with aides representing state and county governments.

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FL-SEN

Coburn Endorses Rubio In Florida Senate Race, Slams Crist On Stimulus

Eric Kleefeld | March 31, 2010, 10:23AM

Former state House Speaker Marco Rubio (R-FL) and Sen. Tom Coburn (R-OK)

Marco Rubio has picked up another big-name national conservative in his Republican primary for Senate in Florida, with his campaign announcing the support of Sen. Tom Coburn (R-OK).

The Rubio campaign's press release contains a direct attack by Coburn on Rubio's opponent, Florida Gov. Charlie Crist, for having supported President Obama's 2009 stimulus bill. Rubio has capitalized heavily on this issue to turn Crist from the initial establishment favorite into a severely-trailing underdog. The TPM Poll Average currently gives Rubio a lead of 57.4%-29.1% in the Republican primary, after Crist had previously enjoyed a similar lead last summer.

"From the 'Bridge to Nowhere' to the 'Woodstock Museum,' I've fought all kinds of wasteful spending throughout my career," Coburn said. "But in my lifetime, I've never seen as wasteful a spending project as the failed $787 billion stimulus bill that Marco's opponents supported. I have full confidence Marco will stand against costly disasters like the stimulus bill and government-run health care."

Financial Reform

Deja Vu: Will The Senate Water Down Wall Street Reform?

Brian Beutler | March 31, 2010, 10:09AM

Sen. Chris Dodd (D-CT), President Barack Obama, and Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA)

As anybody who followed the year-long fight over health care reform no doubt recalls, sometimes the most turbulent part of the legislative process comes after both the House and Senate have passed different versions of a bill. Though financial regulatory reform legislation isn't as likely to twist in the wind for months a la health care, there will still be several differences between the two packages that need to be ironed out.

One regulatory reform expert, Doug Elliott of the Brookings Institution, points to two major potential flashpoints: consumer financial protection, and measures designed to give the federal government power to unwind failed financial institutions.

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TX-SEN

Report: Hutchison Won't Resign From Senate

Eric Kleefeld | March 31, 2010, 10:00AM

Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX)

Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX), who recently lost a Republican primary for governor of Texas, is expected to announce today that she will serve out her full Senate term through 2012.

For the past year and more, Hutchison had challenged incumbent Gov. Rick Perry in the Republican primary. She had previously planned to resign her office during the primary campaign itself, but had reversed her decision in November, though she kept the door open to resigning after the March 2 primary. Had Hutchison resigned, the seat would have been filled with a temporary appointment by Perry, along with an expedited special election.

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Climate Change

Salazar: 'Cap And Trade' Not In The Lexicon Anymore

Rachel Slajda | March 31, 2010, 9:56AM

Interior Secretary Ken Salazar

Interior Secretary Ken Salazar, on CNBC this morning, suggested the administration will no longer use the term "cap and trade" to describe climate change legislation.

"I think the term 'cap and trade' is not in the lexicon anymore," Salazar said, adding that supporters -- including senators working on legislation -- will focus more on ideas such as slowing pollution, creating jobs and becoming energy independent. "It's in that context" the Senate will move forward, he said.

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RNC

Shadegg: Steele Has A Lot To Explain If He Wants To Keep His Job

Rachel Slajda | March 31, 2010, 9:11AM

Rep. John Shadegg (R-AZ)

On MSNBC this morning, Rep. John Shadegg (R-AZ) said RNC Chairman Michael Steele has a lot to explain about committee expenses if he wants to keep his job. Shadegg also said extravagant expenditures, like a $2,000 nightclub bill, don't jibe with Republican ideals.

"At this point, I'm not calling for [Steele's] resignation, but I think there has been excessive spending and I don't think it's defensible," Shadegg said. "The Republican party and its donors need to be doing their best to raise money and spend that money to advance our philosophy and elect our candidates, not for frivolous wastes of money."

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Health Care

Romney Spokesman: 'Romney Plan' Is Not Like Obama's Health Care Reform, Despite What Obama Says

Eric Kleefeld | March 31, 2010, 9:04AM

President Barack Obama and Former Gov. Mitt Romney (R-MA)

So what does Mitt Romney think of the fact that President Obama has publicly cited him as a source for ideas on the newly-passed health care bill -- a bill that has been fiercely criticized by Republicans of all stripes, including Romney himself?

When asked for comment, Romney spokesman Eric Fehrnstrom told TPMDC that Romney does like something about the Obama plan -- but there are other things he doesn't like at all.

"Governor Romney likes the idea of exchanges where people can shop for affordable private policies. That was part of his Massachusetts plan," Fehrnstrom said. "What he doesn't like are the massive new tax increases, the cuts in senior care, the insurance price controls and the overreaching hand of the federal government. That was not part of the Romney plan."

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John McCain

John McCain Calls For National Guard Deployment To The Border

Evan McMorris-Santoro | March 30, 2010, 3:34PM

Sen. John McCain (R-AZ)

Sen. John McCain (R-AZ), under fire from the right for not being tough enough on immigration in his Senate primary race, has called on Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano to dispatch National Guard troops to the U.S.-Mexico border.

In a letter sent to Napolitano's office yesterday, McCain says that rising drug violence across the border in Mexico endangers the lives of American citizens. He says the situation now calls for troops to be sent to the "southern border region."

"The people of Arizona and the United States demand and deserve secure borders," he writes. "I hope that you will take a personal interest in ensuring that Arizonans can feel safe and protected on their own property and not live in fear of the increasing violence along the border."

See a full copy of McCain's letter after the jump.

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IL-SEN

GOPer Kirk Backtracks On Pledge to Repeal Health Care Reform

Eric Kleefeld | March 30, 2010, 3:25PM

Mark Kirk

Rep. Mark Kirk (R-IL), the GOP nominee for President Obama's former Senate seat, is refusing to say whether he would work to repeal the health care bill -- after he'd previously pledged to do just that.

The Associated Press reports: "Kirk was asked repeatedly Tuesday whether he wants the legislation repealed. He would only say that he opposes the new taxes and Medicare cuts to pay for it."

"I voted against it, but we lost," Kirk said, NBC Chicago reports. "My job is to explain how this will affect voters."

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2010 elections

Poll: GOP Keeps Enthusiasm Advantage, Health Care Passage Motivates Voters On Both Sides

Eric Kleefeld | March 30, 2010, 2:43PM

Tea party activists rally in Washington D.C.

The new CNN poll finds that Republicans continue to enjoy their advantage in the enthusiasm gap since the signing of the health care bill. Although voter enthusiasm has in fact increased among Democrats, it has also gone up among Republicans, too.

The poll finds that 36% of Democrats are either "very enthusiastic" or "extremely enthusiastic" about voting for Congress this year, a five-point increase from January. However, Republicans have gone up, too, from 49% in January to 55% now.

"The health care vote seems to have made some Democrats more eager to vote in November, but it has also activated more Republican voters, so the Democrats still face the same double-digit 'enthusiasm gap' they had before the vote," says CNN Polling Director Keating Holland.

Health care lawsuits

Health Care Lawsuits Splitting Govs And AGs Nationwide

Christina Bellantoni | March 30, 2010, 2:32PM

Clockwise, from top left: Gov. Ed Rendell (D-PA), Gov. Chris Gregoire (D-WA), Attorney General Bill McCollum (R-FL), Attorney General Tom Corbett (R-PA), Attorney General Rob McKenna (R-WA), Gov. Bill Ritter (D-CO) and a copy of the health care bill

Lawsuits challenging health care reform have popped up in several states and are drawn nearly entirely on partisan lines, in some cases fracturing top state government officials where the governor is a Democrat and attorney general is a Republican who joined the legal challenge. In Missouri, Lt. Gov Peter Kinder (R) so badly wanted to be part of the lawsuit that he bucked his Democratic Gov. Jay Nixon and the attorney general to say he'll be joining the other attorneys general on his own.

There are a handful of other splits across the country -- Michigan, Washington state, Pennsylvania and Colorado -- which create a tough political climate for anyone attempting to get something done at the state level. Louisiana is the one bipartisan example, with Gov. Bobby Jindal (R) and Attorney General Buddy Caldwell (D) agreeing to join the lawsuit.

The legal challenge has been the latest trend among Republicans, with GOPers trying to one-up each other on the question of whether health care should be repealed, deemed unconstitutional, or left alone. It's become a litmus test for conservatives.

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Financial Reform

Don't Make The Same Mistake Twice: The One Way Dems' Health Care Win Might Help Pass Financial Reform

Brian Beutler | March 30, 2010, 1:33PM

Sen. Chris Dodd (D-CT)

In the wake of the passage of health care reform, Senate Republicans say that they're less willing to work with Democrats than they were in the past--if such a thing is even possible. But at the same time, multiple key GOP senators say they're certain one major initiative--financial regulatory reform--will pass the Senate this year.

"I think it's going to be very, very difficult -- very difficult -- to get 41 members [to sustain a filibuster]," Sen. Bob Corker (R-TN) said in a speech last week.

Sen. Judd Gregg (R-NH), who was tapped to serve as a Republican negotiator in an early round of the regulatory reform debate, told reporters last week he was "100 percent" certain that a major bill would pass this year.

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AL-GOV

Poll: Rep. Artur Davis Leads In Alabama Dem Primary For Governor

Eric Kleefeld | March 30, 2010, 1:02PM

Rep. Artur Davis (D-AL) and Agriculture Commissioner Ron Sparks (D-AL)

A new survey of Alabama by Public Policy Polling (D) finds that Rep. Artur Davis leads in the Democratic primary for governor -- but it's possible that his vote against the health care bill could come back to haunt him.

The numbers: Davis 38%, Agriculture Commissioner Ron Sparks 28%, and third candidate Sam Franklin Thomas with 9%, with a ±4.6% margin of error. At the same time, 80% of Democratic primary voters support the health care bill, compared to only 14% who oppose it.

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Health Care

Obama Ties A Ribbon Around Health Care Reform

Brian Beutler | March 30, 2010, 11:35AM

President Obama signs health care reconciliation bill

With the stroke of a pen this morning, President Obama accomplished two of his administration's major goals. First, he put the finishing touches on health care reform--stripping the law he signed last week of some of its most controversial elements, while strengthening several others. Second, he enacted one of the major goals he set forth during the presidential campaign: student loan reform.

"This week we can rightly say, the foundation on which America's future will be built is stronger than it was one year ago," Obama said moments ago before a crowd at Northern Virginia Community College.

The bill he just signed nullifies the controversial Nebraska Medicaid deal, bolsters insurance subsidies to working- and middle-class consumers, and closes the Medicare prescription-drug donut hole.

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MO-SEN

Poll: Blunt Leads Missouri Senate Race, With Obama And Health Care Bill Unpopular

Eric Kleefeld | March 30, 2010, 11:04AM

Missouri Sec. of State Robin Carnahan (D) and Rep. Roy Blunt (R-MO)

The new survey of Missouri by Public Policy Polling (D) finds Republican Rep. Roy Blunt narrowly ahead in the race for the open Senate seat of retiring GOP Sen. Kit Bond. More importantly, however, other numbers show that the Democrats could have a very tough time ahead in this perennial swing state.

The numbers, among registered voters: Blunt 45%, Dem Secretary of State Robin Carnahan 41%, with a ±4.4% margin of error. Carnahan edges the other Republican candidate, state Sen. Chuck Purgason, by 42%-38%. The TPM Poll Average gives Blunt a lead of 47.0%-40.7% over Carnahan.

Below the surface, President Obama's approval rating is only 43%, with 52% disapproval. In addition, voters said by a 51%-42% margin that Republicans should work to repeal the health care bill. And voters oppose the health care bill by 54%-37%.

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FL-SEN

Marco Rubio's Tea Party Problem

Evan McMorris-Santoro | March 30, 2010, 10:34AM

Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL)

In the midst of Sunday's heated Florida Republican Senate primary debate on Fox News Sunday, moderator Chris Wallace asked Marco Rubio a question that surprised many viewers up early on a Sunday to watch the festivities.

Wallace read Rubio a viewer email. "'Ask Marco Rubio why he refuses to be vetted by the Florida Tea Parties. I want to hear from Rubio or I will not vote for him,'" Wallace said. "We got this from a bunch of Tea Parties all over the state."

Behind the question is an interesting discovery: Despite carrying the torch for insurgent conservatives everywhere, Rubio actually has a problem connecting with the tea parties in his home state, according to several tea partiers I spoke with yesterday. Tea partiers aren't sold on him yet, and they're worried he's abandoning them now that he's winning.

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Death Panels

Bachmann: Senior Citizens' 'Lives Literally Are On The Line With ObamaCare' (VIDEO)

Eric Kleefeld | March 30, 2010, 10:21AM

Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN)

Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN) is continuing to warn that senior citizens are in danger from "death panels" under President Obama's new health care legislation, predicting that seniors could lose their lives -- and their money, too.

Bachmann visited Duluth over the weekend, a city that is located in the district of Democratic Rep. Jim Oberstar (D-MN). Fittingly enough, the local Republicans put their speaker's podium in the middle of a boxing ring, and Bachmann was putting up her rhetorical dukes.

"Senior citizens have followed this issue more than anyone," said Bachmann. "Senior citizens are very smart. And they have been absolutely opposed to ObamaCare going forward, because senior citizens are the ones whose lives literally are on the line with ObamaCare."

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OH-SEN

Poll: Ohio Dem Senate Primary Up In The Air

Eric Kleefeld | March 30, 2010, 9:49AM

Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner (D-OH) and Lt. Gov. Lee Fisher (D-OH)

A new Quinnipiac poll in Ohio shows that in the run-up to the May 4 Democratic primary for Senate, the big leader in the race is..."undecided," with this race way up in the air.

Lt. Gov. Lee Fisher has 33% support, while Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner has 26%. Another one percent answered "someone else," and 40% are undecided. Furthermore, among those respondents who did express a choice, only 31% said their minds are made up, and 65% could change their minds.

The winner of the Democratic primary will face Republican Rob Portman, a former Congressman and Bush administration official. The Dem primary poll does give Fisher a possible leg-up in this regard: 37% think he is the one more likely to win a general election, compared to only 18% who say the same about Brunner.

Tea Party

Obama Says He's 'Not Going To Convince' Tea Party Movement's Birthers (VIDEO)

Christina Bellantoni | March 30, 2010, 9:34AM

President Barack Obama

President Obama said on the "Today" show this morning that the tea party movement isn't cohesive, and said some fringe members of the movement still question whether he is a U.S. citizen and if he is a socialist.

"It is a still loose amalgam of forces," Obama told NBC's Matt Lauer. He said he didn't want to paint the group "in broad brushes" and wants to speak to those tea partiers with "mainstream, legitimate concerns."

Obama said it's possible that with a new focus on deficit reduction some in the relatively new tea party movement might end up agreeing with his administration's actions. But not everyone will be swayed on fiscal responsibility, he said.

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Health Care

Poll: Independents Spread Blame For Post-Reform Violence

Evan McMorris-Santoro | March 30, 2010, 9:25AM

President Barack Obama

A new USA Today/Gallup poll out this morning shows that more Americans blame the Democrats more than any other group when it comes to the inciting the violence and vandalism that have spread across the country in the week since health care reform became law. Fifty percent said passing the bill was a "bad thing," while 47% said it was a good thing.*

When asked about the violence, 49% of the 1,009 adults surveyed over the weekend said the "Democratic tactics" are a "major reason" for the violent incidents. Forty-six percent said conservative media was responsible, and 43% blamed the attacks on the rhetoric of Republican political leaders.

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Blanche Lincoln

Overreactive: Blanche Lincoln's Clumsy Campaign For Senate

Brian Beutler | March 30, 2010, 8:28AM

Sen. Blanche Lincoln (D-AR)

Sen. Blanche Lincoln (D-AR) was never going to have an easy time winning re-election in 2010. As a conservative Democrat facing reelection in a state that went for John McCain by an overwhelming 59-39 margin, she has had to do a delicate dance to distance herself from the national party led by a Democratic President whose unfavorable ratings there hover around 60 percent. And it doesn't help her cause that the conservative base has been re-energized by their antipathy to her party.

But instead of dancing with a ballerina's deft footwork, Lincoln has often struggled with two left feet. As time has gone on--and as her prospects for reelection have diminished--Lincoln has stumbled repeatedly.

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NV-SEN

Reid: Get Tea Partiers Dictionaries So They Can Look Up 'Socialism'

Eric Kleefeld | March 29, 2010, 6:06PM

Sen. Harry Reid (D-NV)

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) has a new fundraising e-mail out, making light of the Tea Party rally that was held this past weekend in his small hometown of Searchlight, Nevada. In particular, Reid challenges the Tea Partiers basic political knowledge, insofar as they call Democrats "socialists."

"I double checked the definition of 'socialism,' and it's defined as a political philosophy that advocates for government ownership of private industry. Absolutely needless to say, not a view I agree with in the least," Reid writes.

"My first thought was that we could hold a fundraising drive to buy dictionaries for all these folks and mail them out lickity split. But my campaign manager rightly pointed out that with the first quarter coming to an end, we should raise money for the campaign in dictionary-sized increments instead."

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CA-GOV

Meg Whitman Ad: Run California 'A Little Bit More Like A Business' (VIDEO)

Eric Kleefeld | March 29, 2010, 5:43PM

Former eBay CEO Meg Whitman (R-CA)

Former eBay CEO Meg Whitman, a candidate for the Republican gubernatorial nomination in California, has a new TV ad touting her businesswoman sensibilities.

"So we have no choice but to make California far more efficient and effective than it is, by running this thing a little bit more like a business," says Whitman. "Government will never be a business, it shouldn't be a business. But it does need a dose of 'How do we do more for less?'"

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NV-SEN

Tea Party Of Nevada Candidate: 'Absolutely Not' A Democratic Plant (VIDEO)

Christina Bellantoni | March 29, 2010, 5:42PM

Geraldo Rivera and NV Sen. Candidate Scott Ashjian

We've been writing about Jon Scott Ashjian, the official Tea Party of Nevada Senate candidate aiming to beat Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) this fall.

Ashjian has been taking heat from groups that make up the tea party movement who say he's just been set up to siphon votes from Republican candidates, and he's also facing a felony charge of writing a bad check to a business consultant for his asphalt company. He's also had his contractor's license revoked and other business woes.

Geraldo Rivera asked Ashjian in a recent appearance on Fox News if he was a Democratic plant, a few days after the Tea Party Express group produced an Internet ad suggesting Ashjian is a fraud. Rivera also asked about the legal troubles.

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Political vandalism

Vandals Try To Break Window At Alaska Democratic Party HQ

Christina Bellantoni | March 29, 2010, 4:16PM

Alaska Democratic Party officials think hot rhetoric over health care led to someone trying to break the windows at the entrance to their headquarters in Anchorage. After logging some threatening phone calls last week, staffers on Sunday found that someone attempted to shatter one of the floor-to-ceiling windows at their prominently labeled office.

"We are on heightened alert and will be taking extra precaution," Patti Higgins, chairwoman of the Alaska Democratic Party, told me in an interview today. "I'm not going to say I think it was tea partiers or Republicans, but I think the heightened rhetoric out there will encourage people will go out and think it's okay to 'send a message' and be angry."

Higgins said it seemed "coincidental" the incident happened over the weekend, as former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin was declaring that Republicans should be the party of "Hell no" at a political rally in Nevada. "These are violent words: 'Fire 'em all, take 'em out,' and put together they fit into a pretty cohesive running theme that is fairly violent," Higgins said.

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WI-SEN

Poll: Feingold Narrowly Leads Thompson

Eric Kleefeld | March 29, 2010, 3:07PM

Sen. Russell Feingold (D-WI) and Former Gov. Tommy Thompson (R-WI)

The new Daily Kos/Research 2000 poll gives Sen. Russ Feingold (D-WI) a narrow lead over Tommy Thompson, a Republican former four-term governor and former Bush administration Secretary of Health and Human Services.

The numbers: Feingold 48%, Thompson 44%, with a ±4% margin of error. Thompson is not currently in the race, but has been considering it. Feingold has stronger leads over the two declared Republican candidates, leading businessman Terrence Wall by 52%-37%, and leading businessman Dave Westlake by 54%-36%.

The TPM Poll Average gives Thompson a narrow edge of 45.9%-45.6%, with recent movement showing Feingold closing the gap. The average also has Feingold leading Wall by 50.7%-37.0%, and leading Westlake by 49.4%-34.2%.

Recess appointments

Obama Recess Appointments A Rebuke To GOP For Stalling, Blocking Key Nominees

Brian Beutler | March 29, 2010, 3:05PM

President Barack Obama

The GOP attacks on President Obama's decision to offer recess appointments to 15 stalled nominees--including labor lawyer Craig Becker, whose confirmation was successfully filibustered earlier this year--were swift, and predictably harsh. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell called it "a purely partisan move that will make a traditionally bipartisan labor board an unbalanced agenda-driven panel."

This is hardly the first time that the opposition party has decried a President's decision to recess appoint nominees--Democrats were likewise furious at many of Bush's nods. But there important differences between the two episodes. Despite facing record obstruction, Obama has until now refused to use his recess appointment power, to the chagrin of many of his own supporters. By invoking his power, Obama's signaling to Senate Republicans that they can't delay or block him from staffing up his administration and expect to get away with it.

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Health Care

Polls: Close Split On Whether To Repeal Health Care Law

Eric Kleefeld | March 29, 2010, 2:31PM

Democratic leadership at the signing of the health care bill.

A new pair of national polls show a close divide on whether or not the new health care reform law should be repealed.

A CNN poll found that 47% agreed with the statement that "Congress should repeal most of the major provisions in that bill and replace them with a completely different set of proposals." Another 27% want to take the bill further, agreeing that "Congress should make additional changes to increase the government's involvement in the nation's health care system." And finally, 23% agreed, "Congress should leave the bill as it is."

So that is 47% for repeal, 50% who want the bill to stand or to further expand upon it.

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MN-06

Minnesota Dems Endorse Candidate Against Bachmann, But Primary Still Awaits

Eric Kleefeld | March 29, 2010, 1:23PM

MN-06 Democratic candidates Tarryl Clark and Maureen Reed

Minnesota Democrats have officially endorsed a candidate to run against Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN), the darling of the Tea Party right. But the process isn't over, and there will still be a primary in August.

The district-level convention of the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party endorsed state Sen. Tarryl Clark, who has long been supported by other Democratic elected officials and key unions. The other candidate is Maureen Reed, former state University regent and 2006 Independence Party nominee for lieutenant governor -- and she will still be contesting the nomination in the primary.

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Health Care

Dems Scrutinize Business, GOP Claims That Health Care Will Cost Corporations Millions

Brian Beutler | March 29, 2010, 1:20PM

Rep. Henry Waxman (D-CA)

The ink on the health care law President Obama signed last week hadn't even dried when Republicans and business reporters picked up on a striking claim from some of the nation's biggest corporations. The legislation, they say, will cost them hundreds of millions of dollars this year, thanks to the elimination of a major tax deduction -- but that's a claim the Democrats aren't taking at face value.

Republicans instantly glommed on, using figures released by the companies as part of their ongoing efforts to portray the bill as a jobs killer. "[W]e heard from Caterpillar this week; $100 million it's going to cost them just this year," warned Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-TX) on the House floor Sunday--one of several House Republicans to attack the bill for hurting employers.

There are a couple of problems, though.

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NV-SEN

Former GOP Chair: Bad Check Charge Against NV Tea Party Candidate 'Isn't Political In Nature'

Christina Bellantoni | March 29, 2010, 12:55PM

Nevada senate candidate Scott Ashjian (Tea Party) and Clark County Deputy District Attorney Bernie Zadrowski (R-NV)

I just spent about half an hour on the phone with Bernie Zadrowski, a district attorney who heads the Bad Check Unit in Clark County, Nevada that is likely to file an arrest warrant today against Jon Scott Ashjian, the official Tea Party of Nevada candidate on this fall's Senate ballot.

Ashjian has been charged with writing a $5,000 bad check to a consultant who did work for his asphalt business -- his second offense and another legal problem he's facing as conservatives affiliated with the state's tea party movement target him as a fraud. Eyebrows were raised when the felony bad check charge surfaced because Zadrowski is the former chairman of the Clark County Republican Party and also is on the ballot in a judicial race this fall.

But Zadrowski told me that the victim of Ashjian's bounced check (written in December) came forward last month before Ashjian filed to run for Senate in early March. He also said his own political affiliations have nothing to do with it, especially since he is running to be a justice. That race is nonpartisan and candidates are barred from making endorsements or getting involved in political races. "This isn't political in nature at all, this is simply my job," Zadrowski told me.

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NV-SEN

Tea Party Express Accuses Nevada 'Tea Party' Candidate: 'We Think You're A Fraud' (VIDEO)

Eric Kleefeld | March 29, 2010, 12:48PM

Senate candidate Scott Ashjian (Tea Party-NV)

The Tea Party Express, a division of Our Country Deserves Better PAC, has a new Web ad excoriating "Tea Party" candidate Scott Ashjian in the Nevada Senate race, accusing him of being a Democratic mole trying to help re-elect Democratic Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. The ad has not been put on television just yet -- but it could be soon.

Ashjian has registered as a candidate with an actual "Tea Party" label for the general election, rather than running in the Republican primary. Right-wing talk radio host and Tea Party Express spokesman Mark Williams tells Ashjian to "get lost." "Dozens of Tea Party groups across Nevada have spoken out against your candidacy," Williams says. "None of us has ever heard of you, or even seen you at a Tea Party rally. Nothing. We think you're a fraud who's trying to split the vote and help re-elect Harry Reid."

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Tea Party

Tea Partiers Hold Festival In Reid's Hometown

Eric Kleefeld | March 29, 2010, 11:58AM

Sarah Palin speaks at the 'Showdown in Searchlight' Tea Party Express rally in Searchlight, NV.

Searchlight, Nevada, is a remote town with only about 700 people -- only really known for being the home town of Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV). But over the weekend it became the destination of choice for thousands of Tea Party activists, who descended on the town to protest Reid, Speaker Nancy Pelosi, President Obama, health care reform and the rest of the Democrats' agenda.

The event was a kickoff for a national tour of the "Tea Party Express" bus, a project of the Our Country Deserves Better PAC. The organizers selected the hometown of the Senate Majority Leader to show off their opposition to the Dem agenda. Speakers included Andrew Breitbart, Joe "The Plumber" Wurzelbacher, talk radio host Mark Williams, and Saturday Night Live alumnus Victoria Jackson.

The star attraction, however, was Sarah Palin, the 2008 Republican nominee for vice president and a huge favorite of conservative activists. Palin slammed Reid for "gambling away our future" -- a topical reference in a gambling-heavy state. "Someone needs to tell him, this is not a crapshoot," Palin added.

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2012 elections

Pawlenty Uses Health Care Reform To Go After Romney In NH

Evan McMorris-Santoro | March 29, 2010, 10:43AM

Gov. Tim Pawlenty (R-MN)

And so it begins -- less than a week after health care reform was signed into law, it has become a problem for Mitt Romney.

In an interview with a New Hampshire newspaper over the weekend, Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty (R) used GOP anger over the Democratic reform bill to make a not-so-veiled attack on Romney, who signed a similar plan into law when he was governor of Massachusetts.

Romney and Pawlenty, of course, are central players in the nascent 2012 GOP presidential nomination fight. And New Hampshire, of course, is a central battlefield in that fight. So it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out why Pawlenty chose the Nashua Telegraph to slam RomneyCare as a bad example for the nation to follow.

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Health Care

No August Repeats: How The Dems Are Approaching Recess With HCR Victory Behind Them

Christina Bellantoni | March 29, 2010, 9:08AM

Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) signing the bill that passed the House; a protester at a health-care town-hall meeting last summer

Play offense and "don't run away" from health care reform.

That's the advice Democratic leadership is giving rank-and-file members as they fan out across the country to their home districts with a health care victory in their pocket. For all the celebrating, there are real concerns about the next two weeks of Congressional recess spiraling out of control.

Democrats tell us they are confident the rowdy town halls from August won't be duplicated, and are peppering members with data and facts about the health care bill to make sure they are armed with information. Last summer, members were caught unprepared and were faced with angry voters, loud protests and televised meetings that portrayed them in many cases as fumbling and unsure of how to talk about a bill that didn't actually exist yet.

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Afghanistan

Obama Makes Unannounced Visit To Afghanistan

Evan McMorris-Santoro | March 28, 2010, 12:17PM

President Barack Obama visits U.S. troops in Afghanistan.

President Obama made an surprise stop in Afghanistan today, his first visit to the war zone since moving into the White House. The one-day visit, which lasted a total of about 6 hours, included talks with Afghan president Hamid Karzai and his government, which the U.S. sees as key to completing its mission in Afghanistan on on the timetable Obama outlined in December. While on the ground, Obama also addressed U.S. troops and met with American commanders.

Air Force One touched down at Bagram Air Force Base overnight, after leaving Andrews Air Force base under cover of secrecy on Saturday. Accompanying Obama on the trip were members of Obama's national security team, including members of the White House national security team, including National Security Adviser Jim Jones. The White House said the trip had been planned since Thursday, but told reporters the flight was unannounced "for security reasons."

Obama and Afghan president Hamid Karzai appeared briefly before reporters in Kabul, where the Obama announced that Karzai will visit the U.S. for more talks next month.

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FL-SEN

Crist Says 'Moderate' Not A Dirty Word In First Debate With Rubio

Evan McMorris-Santoro | March 28, 2010, 11:27AM

Former state House Speaker Marco Rubio (R-FL) and Gov. Charlie Crist (R-FL)

After months of fighting separate battles for the hearts and minds of Florida Republicans, Marco Rubio and Charlie Crist met on Fox News Sunday this morning, their first debate of the GOP primary. During 40 heated minutes moderated by FNS' Chris Wallace, Crist showed that he won't go quietly, despite the polls, and is willing now to run on the moderate record he tried to distance himself from as recently as October.

Crist came into the debate with the most to prove, having seen his once sure-thing candidacy devolve into an insurgent challenge against Rubio, who has become the poster boy for the most vocal Republicans on the right this year. Crist tried to tear down that image, claiming that Rubio is not the man conservatives think he is.

Rubio had a familiar response to Crist's taunts: At least I'm not the kind of guy who hugs President Obama.

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