2012 Presidential Primaries

Mitt Romney Wins New Hampshire GOP Straw Poll

Evan McMorris-Santoro | January 22, 2011, 3:08PM

Mitt Romney

The leaders of the New Hampshire Republican Party have spoken, and they have given Mitt Romney the early presidential lead in the Granite State. In the first-of-its-kind straw poll of members of the New Hampshire Republican State Committee, Romney drew 35% of the total vote. Rep. Ron Paul (R-TX) came in second with 11%.

[TPM SLIDESHOW: Meet The 2012 GOPers: Ex Gov. Mitt Romney (R-MA)]

The straw poll was conducted in Derry, NH and was sponsored by ABC News and WMUR-TV.

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2012 Presidential Primaries

And So It Begins: New Hampshire Straw Poll Offers Early 2012 Tea Leaves

Evan McMorris-Santoro | January 22, 2011, 8:41AM

Former Gov. Mitt Romney (R-MA)

More than a year before New Hampshire Republicans will head to the polls to vote for the candidate they think is best equipped to take on President Obama in 2012, leaders of the Granite State GOP will meet today to choose which of the myriad unofficial candidates has the early lead.

WMUR-TV and ABC News will sponsor New Hampshire's first-ever straw poll of state Republican officials, who will gather in Derry, NH to choose their next state chair. The event, one of the earliest of its kind, ever, is expected to be watched by political junkies across the country.

But it's unclear if the event will do much more than briefly satiate the appetites of those hungry for all things electoral -- coming so far before the primary, and before the major candidates have officially declared their intention to run, what exactly the "winner" of Saturday's straw poll suggests about the nomination race is difficult to predict, to say the least. But the event will offer a chance to see who has the heart of the activists and party organizers in New Hampshire, which could suggest who's got the momentum heading into next year's primary season.

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Keith Olbermann

Keith Olbermann Out At MSNBC (VIDEO)

Evan McMorris-Santoro | January 21, 2011, 9:36PM

Keith Olbermann

Countdown with Keith Olbermann, a staple of the progressive media diet, and the cable news network's top-rated show, is no more. In a surprise announcement at the end of Friday's show, Olbermann said the episode would be his last. A release from MSNBC released shortly after the show ended announced "MSNBC and Keith Olbermann have ended their contract."

The release from MSNBC, in full:

MSNBC and Keith Olbermann have ended their contract. The last broadcast of "Countdown with Keith Olbermann" will be this evening. MSNBC thanks Keith for his integral role in MSNBC's success and we wish him well in his future endeavors.

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Pres '12

Report: Gingrich To Base Presidential Campaign In Georgia

Eric Kleefeld | January 21, 2011, 5:04PM

Former Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-GA)

Former Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-GA) now appears to be on track for a presidential run.

Jim Galloway of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports:

In the last 24 hours, former U.S. House speaker Newt Gingrich has touched base with several prominent Republicans in his former home state, telling them that he intends to make a run for president in 2012 using Georgia as his base - and that he already has his eye on office space in Buckhead for a campaign headquarters.

Gingrich met on Thursday with [Governor] Nathan Deal, whom Gingrich endorsed during a critical phase of last year's Republican primary for governor.

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Sunday Shows

The Sunday Show Line-Ups

Eric Kleefeld | January 21, 2011, 4:15PM

Sen. Joseph Lieberman (I-CT)

Here are the line-ups for the Sunday talk shows this weekend:

• ABC, This Week: Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-CT), Sen. Kent Conrad (D-ND), Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX).

• CBS, Face The Nation: Sen. John McCain (R-AZ), Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY).

• CNN, State Of The Union: Former Secretary of State Colin Powell.

• Fox News Sunday: Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL).

• NBC, Meet The Press: House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA), Assistant House Minority Leader James Clyburn (D-SC), former George W. Bush adviser Karen Hughes, former Bill Clinton Chief of Staff John Podesta.

2012 Presidential Primaries

Rudy Giuliani On 2012: I'm More Likely To Run If Sarah Palin Does

Evan McMorris-Santoro | January 21, 2011, 4:03PM

Rudy Guiliani

Rudy Giuliani will offer more hints at his potential presidential future in an interview scheduled to air on CNN Monday night. Among the new revelations, according to tweets posted Friday by the Larry King-replacing Piers Morgan, is the role Sarah Palin's 2012 decision would make in Giuliani's own choice on whether or not to join the fray.

"Rudy Giuliani says he's 'more likely' to run for Presidency if Sarah Palin does," Morgan tweeted Friday afternoon. ""The more Republicans in which I can show a contrast, probably the better chance, the better chance that I have.'"

Other hints at Giuliani's thinking from Morgan's Twitter feed today include a suggestion that Giuliani thinks there's room for a self-professed moderate to make a run at the presidential nomination of the increasingly tea party-influenced GOP.

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State Of The Union

Michele Bachmann To Give Her Own State Of The Union Response

Evan McMorris-Santoro | January 21, 2011, 3:27PM

Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN)

Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN) is apparently not content to let Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI) be the only Republican to stand before the cameras and give a rebuttal to President Obama's State of the Union speech Tuesday night.

According to an email sent out by Tea Party Express spokesperson Amy Krener this morning, Bachmann will give her own response to the SOTU via webstream on the Tea Party Express' homepage. Ryan is the official Republican choice to give the opposition response to the speech, which is generally broadcast directly following the president's words. Most other Republicans will save their responses for the myriad interviews cable news will conduct in the hours following Obama's speech.

Bachmann, it seems, is going to go a slightly different route, offering up her own take on the speech directly to the tea party voters that form her national base. It's just the latest case of Bachmann going her own way after her colleagues declined to give her a seat at the leadership table in the new Republican-controlled House.

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Sharron Angle

Angle's PAC 'Agrees' With Reid On China's Hu Being Dictator

Eric Kleefeld | January 21, 2011, 3:16PM

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) and 2010 Senate candidate Sharron Angle (R)

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid's (D-NV) recent description of Chinese President Hu Jintao as a "dictator" has now attracted the somewhat backhanded agreement of an unlikely source -- the Patriot Caucus PAC, which was established after the 2010 election by his very right-wing GOP opponent, former state Rep. Sharron Angle.

"It's not often we can fully agree with something Harry Reid says," the PAC's online administrators write. "A statement made by Harry Reid yesterday, however, warrants strong agreement."

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Pres '12

PPP Poll: Palin Barely Edging Obama -- In Texas!

Eric Kleefeld | January 21, 2011, 3:08PM

Former Gov. Sarah Palin (R-AK) and President Barack Obama (D)

Here's yet another sign of just how unelectable Sarah Palin could be if she were to win the Republican nomination for president in 2012: A new survey from Public Policy Polling (D) finds her ahead of Obama by only one point in deep-red Texas.

Here are the GOPers performances against Obama, in descending order:

• Mike Huckabee leads Obama by a whopping 55%-39%.

• Mitt Romney leads Obama by 49%-42%.

• Newt Gingrich leads Obama by 48%-43%.

• Palin just edges Obama by 47%-46%.

• And Gov. Rick Perry, who has run populist anti-Washington campaigns and is now dealing with a serious state budget crunch, only ties Obama at 45%-45%.

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CPAC

Jim DeMint Joins Conservative Boycott Of CPAC

Jillian Rayfield | January 21, 2011, 3:07PM

Sen. Jim DeMint (R-SC)

Sen. Jim DeMint will also not be attending the CPAC conference this year, Ben Smith of Politico reports.

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Social Security

Dems Press Obama: Hands Off Social Security!

Brian Beutler | January 21, 2011, 2:40PM

Rep. Raul Grijalva (D-AZ)

Ahead of the State of the Union address, House progressives want a word with President Obama about Social Security.

In a letter delivered Friday to request a meeting with President Obama, 33 members of the Congressional Progressive Caucus seek assurances that he will not work with Republicans to cut or privatize Social Security.

"[T]here is no Social Security crisis," the members write.

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2012 Presidential Primaries

PPP Poll: Huckabee By Far GOP's Top Choice For 2012 Nomination

Jon Terbush | January 21, 2011, 2:03PM

Mike Huckabee

Mike Huckabee may be picking up steam heading into the 2012 presidential primary, as a new poll finds him well ahead of the other potential challengers just two months after he placed fourth in the same survey. It's the second poll this week to find the former Arkansas governor leading the GOP field.

In the poll, 24% of Republican voters said Huckabee was their top choice for the party nod. Sarah Palin and Mitt Romney trailed by 10 points each at 14%, while Newt Gingrich trailed further behind at 11%. Tim Pawlenty led the second-tier candidates at 8%, followed by Ron Paul (7%), Mitch Daniels (4%), and John Thune (1%.)

Huckabee's support has grown eight points since PPP last polled the question in November. At that time, Palin led the pack at 21%, with Gingrich and Romney close behind at 19% and 18% respectively.

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2012 elections

Arizona GOP To Ask Brewer For Early 2012 Primary -- Breaking RNC Rules

Eric Kleefeld | January 21, 2011, 1:58PM

Gov. Jan Brewer (R-AZ)

Arizona Republicans aren't just in the driver's seat on on GOP policies like immigration -- they are now seeking to leapfrog the 2012 primary calendar and vote in February next year, too.

As Real Clear Politics reports, the 80-member state GOP executive committee has passed a resolution that would ask that Republican Gov. Jan Brewer -- who has the power to set the state's presidential primary date -- schedule the event for February. The resolution will next be voted on tomorrow by the whole state party committee, made up of 1,400 members.

"We should go early because we're a good bellwether of the country," Mecum said. "We're willing to break the rules to go early."

A wrinkle in this plan, of course, is that the RNC's official new primary calendar -- which was adopted in part to push the race back from its very early events last cycle -- allows only four contests in February 2012: Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada and South Carolina. And if another state goes earlier, it could potentially trigger a race among the official early states to reschedule their contests for even sooner.

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RNC

Priebus Assembling RNC Finance Operation -- And Replacing Steele Aides

Eric Kleefeld | January 21, 2011, 1:33PM

RNC Chairman Reince Priebus

Newly-elected Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus is already busy at work, on such issues as fundraising and party organization -- and turning the page from predecessor Michael Steele, who he defeated for re-election last week.

"I have no goal to become ... some cable TV rock star," Priebus told USA Today. "I'm the guy from Wisconsin. I'm somebody who is willing to work like a dog."

And, it seems, part of working like a dog means getting rid of the people who worked for Michael Steele.

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Rick Santorum

Buchanan Defends Santorum: 'His Facts Are Correct' On Abortion And Black People

Jillian Rayfield | January 21, 2011, 12:52PM

Pat Buchanan

This morning, MSNBC's Pat Buchanan defended Rick Santorum's remark about President Obama's stance on abortion, saying his "facts are right" and "Santorum is saying that you've constricted it and taken that right of personhood and life away from a whole class of folks" by not considering unborn children people who are protected by the Constitution. And that "was exactly what was done to African-Americans for 250 years, and you go to Dred Scott, they are not persons under the Constitution."

Santorum said earlier this week that "I find it almost remarkable for a black man to say, 'we're going to decide who are people and who are not people.'"

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Mike Huckabee

Huckabee Inadvertently Acknowledges Spending Cuts Will Cost Jobs (VIDEO)

Brian Beutler | January 21, 2011, 12:49PM

Mike Huckabee

Like all Republicans, likely GOP presidential candidate Mike Huckabee is all for abruptly slashing federal spending. But unlike most high-profile conservatives, he seems to be aware that slashing outlays during an economic downturn will cost jobs.

On Fox News Friday morning, Huckabee let it slip.

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Net Neutrality

Verizon's Net Neutrality Challenge Claims It Violates Their Licenses

Stephanie Marcus | January 21, 2011, 11:35AM

Not happy with the FCC's new net neutrality regulations passed last month, Verizon Communications filed an appeal against them in the United States Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit on Thursday. The FCC's rules aim to prevent Internet service providers from blocking certain websites or applications.

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2012 Presidential Primaries

Mitt Romney Not Buddying Up To The Tea Party (And Vice-Versa)

Evan McMorris-Santoro | January 21, 2011, 11:27AM

While other potential 2012 GOP presidential candidates fall all over themselves to appeal to the tea party base that represents one of the most enthusiastic groups in the Republican Party, Mitt Romney's taking a different approach.

Though the former Massachusetts governor is considered a leading contender in the race to take on President Obama next year, the Boston Globe reports that he's done little to court what most observers expect will be a key component of the primary electorate: the tea party activists who so altered the GOP landscape in 2010.

From the Globe:

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Sarah Palin

Digging In To Palin's Poll Data: Loathed On The Left, Loved On The Right

Jon Terbush | January 21, 2011, 11:17AM

Sarah Palin

In light of recent polls showing that over half of the country has a negative opinion of Sarah Palin, the former half-term Alaska Governor may seem like yesterday's news. Yet based on Palin's performance in early 2012 polling of Republican voters, it's clear that she still remains a viable candidate for the GOP presidential nomination.

Among the Republicans believed to be mulling presidential bids, Palin routinely polls near the top of the field, both nationally and in surveys of individual states. And it's not just an issue of name recognition; Palin holds her own against other well known Republicans, like Mitt Romney and Mike Huckabee.

In an ABC-Washington Post poll released this week, Palin was Republican voters' second choice for the party nod, trailing Huckabee by only two points, well within the poll's 5.5% margin of error. Just two months ago, PPP poll found her leading the pack at 21%, followed by the usual suspects of Huckabee (19%) and Romney (18%.) In an NBC/Wall Street Journal poll also released this week, Palin placed third, four points back of Huckabee, and five behind Romney.

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Debt Ceiling

Republicans Could Force Multiple Debt Ceiling Votes Before 2012

Brian Beutler | January 21, 2011, 10:26AM

House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH), House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA) and Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY)

Members of both parties are preparing for a big brouhaha over the debt ceiling a few months from now. Democrats are daring Republicans to allow the country to default. Republicans are insisting that they'll only raise the debt limit if the measure is paired with truly dramatic spending cuts. Both sides think they have the upper hand, and only one side can be right about that. But when all's said and done, everybody agrees the debt ceiling will be raised.

The question now is: for how long?

All speculation thus far has centered on the immediate fight. But if Congress decides to raise the debt limit by only a modest increment, Republicans will set themselves up for more bites at the apple in the coming months.

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RNC

Steele: 'From The Very Beginning' There Were Calls For My Resignation (VIDEO)

Eric Kleefeld | January 21, 2011, 10:10AM

Former RNC Chairman Michael Steele

Former Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele appeared last night on the Rachel Maddow show, offered a vociferous defense of his performance as chairman -- and said how some people had opposed his style of managing the party from the very beginning.

In her introduction, Maddow discussed the immediate scheming that occurred against Steele, and how right-wing media outlets such as the Washington Times quickly began agitating for his ouster.

"I think you nailed it pretty well," Steele said, "that, you know, from the very beginning, literally within the first 30 days of my being on the job, there were calls for my resignation. Now, I don't know how one does -- how you screw up so badly in 30 days on a job that they want to get rid of you when you don't even know where the washrooms are.

"But clearly, there was -- there was a distinctive style issue for me. I mean, I'm a very, you know, grassroots guy. I'm very oriented on being in the neighborhoods and communities," Steele said. "My first venture out of Washington was to Harlem. And I remember a member asked me, why are you going to Harlem as RNC chairman? I said, because there are votes there. Let's take our message to the people."

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2012 elections

He's B-a-a-ck: Giuliani Says He's Considering 2012 Run (VIDEO)

Evan McMorris-Santoro | January 21, 2011, 9:22AM

Former mayor of New York City Rudy Giuliani

Get ready for a lot of verbs, nouns and talk of 9/11: Rudy Giuliani says he's seriously considering another run at the White House. In an interview with CNBC's Larry Kudlow last night, Giuliani said he's "absolutely" open to a second bite at the presidential campaign apple, despite the spectacular failure of his highly-touted 2008 run.

"I will take a look at 2012. It's really a question of can I play a useful role? Would I have a chance at getting the nomination?" Giuliani told Kudlow. "Those are the things that I'll have to evaluate, you know, as the year goes along."

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Health Care

Senate Dems Plot Aggressive Strategy To Fight Health Care Repeal

Brian Beutler | January 21, 2011, 9:17AM

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) with Sens. Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Charles Schumer (D-NY)

Senate Democrats might not let Republicans' health care repeal efforts die quietly after all.

A top Democratic aide tells me that leadership staffers are considering ways to make Republicans take tough votes on popular elements of the bill, as Republicans figure out if and how they'll force a vote on full repeal.

Nothing's been finalized, including precisely how they'd go about it. But the point would be to turn a global health care repeal push into something more piecemeal -- should seniors pay back their $250 doughnut hole check? Should children with pre-existing conditions be stripped of insurance?

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Health Care

What Do Americans Really Think Of Health Care Reform Repeal?

Jon Terbush | January 21, 2011, 8:42AM

A Tea Party protester

In reclaiming the House last November, Republicans framed their victory as a clear mandate from the American people to scrap 'Obamacare.' A cursory scan of the polling data suggests they were right, with some polls pegging support for repeal as high as 60%.

Yet a closer examination of the numbers reveals that the claim is considerably overblown.

The primary problem with polling data on the issue is that surveys tend to oversimplify the debate. Many polls present respondents with just two options: repeal the whole shebang, or do nothing at all. What those polls fail to take into account is the fact that some parts of the law are widely popular, while others are disliked, and still others are unknown or misunderstood.

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Social Security

Progressives Target Lindsey Graham Over Social Security

Brian Beutler | January 21, 2011, 8:00AM

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC)

The Progressive Change Campaign Committee will go live Saturday with a new TV ad, targeting Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) over his position on Social Security.

Graham's one of many Republicans withholding his vote to raise the country's debt ceiling unless the legislation is paired with significant spending cuts.

"I will not vote for the debt ceiling increase until I see a plan in place that will deal with our long-term debt obligations, starting with Social Security, a real bipartisan effort to make sure that Social Security stays solvent, adjusting the age, looking at means tests for benefits," Graham said on Meet the Press earlier this month.

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Iowa caucus

2012 GOPers Lining Up For Iowa Conservative Lecture Series

Eric Kleefeld | January 20, 2011, 6:07PM

Gov. Tim Pawlenty (R-MN) and Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN)

An early event is already taking shape in Iowa for potential Republican presidential candidates: A series of lectures organized by social conservative group the Family Leader, headed up by former gubernatorial candidate Bob Vander Plaats.

Vander Plaats ran unsuccessfully for governor in 2010, winning 40% in the GOP primary to 50% for ex-Gov. Terry Branstad, who went on to win the general election.

Five speakers have been lined up so far: Former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, his fellow Minnesota Congresswoman Michele Bachmann, former Speaker Newt Gingrich, former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum, and businessman Herman Cain.

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Progressives

Howard Dean: The 'State Of The Progressive Movement' Is Strong

Evan McMorris-Santoro | January 20, 2011, 5:25PM

Former DNC Chairman Howard Dean.

Republicans may be enjoying their ascendancy and critics may be suggesting the President Obama is tilting to the right along with them, but former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean says the "the State of the Progressive Movement is strong."

In a long letter sent to members of Democracy For America -- the progressive group that operates out of Dean's 2004 presidential headquarters in Vermont -- Dean opines on the state of the left after a year that saw many setbacks for progressives, from the death of the public option to the Republicans' November electoral sweep.

"The next few years aren't going to be easy either," Dean writes. "It's going to be a fight to stop right-wing Republicans from rolling back progress and forcing gridlock in Congress."

Despite the progressive critics of Obama, Dean makes it clear that he's fully behind Obama -- and that Obama's cause is a progressive one.

"We'll need to work harder than ever to accomplish real change and reelect President Obama in 2012," Dean writes. "But we've never been afraid of hard work."

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Spending

Republicans Press Boehner Not To Get Squeamish On Spending Cuts

Brian Beutler | January 20, 2011, 5:12PM

Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI) and John Boehner (R-OH).

Rank and file Republicans aren't happy with House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) and Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan (R-WI). They think the GOP should take a hatchet to the federal budget now, to make good on their pledge to slash spending by $100 billion "this year." And their displeasure is spilling out into the open.

"Despite the added challenge of being four months into the current fiscal year, we still must keep our $100 billion pledge to the American people," reads a draft of a letter to Boehner, obtained by TPM, being circulated by the Republican Study Committee. "These $100 billion in cuts to non-security discretionary spending not only ensure that we keep our word to the American people; they represent a credible down payment on the fiscally responsible measures that will be needed to get the nation's finances back on track."

The problem, as Boehner and Ryan have explained, is that they won't even get a whack at the budget until March, when the government's current spending authority expires. By then it will only be six months until the end of the fiscal year in September, and they're having a hard time squeezing a year's worth of promised cuts through a half-year window.

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CT-SEN

CT-SEN Candidate Chris Murphy: 'The Filibuster Is In Dire Need Of Reform'

Eric Kleefeld | January 20, 2011, 4:32PM

Rep. Chris Murphy (D-CT)

On a conference call with reporters this afternoon, Rep. Chris Murphy (D-CT) laid out some key priorities of his newly-launched campaign for the Senate seat held by retiring independent Sen. Joe Lieberman -- with filibuster reform being one of his top concerns.

Murphy said that during his travels throughout his House district, "I've heard a real frustration with the U.S. Senate, and how it too often stands as an unjustifiable barrier to positive change." He said that his campaign would discuss issues such as the economy, but also reforming the Senate so it is no longer, in Murphy's words, "an old boys' club" that stops progress on key issues.

"Part of the reason that reform can't occur in the Senate is because of the way they do business," Murphy laster said, during the Q&A. "The filibuster is in dire need of reform. Whether or not it needs to go away, we need to reform the way the filibuster is used, so it is not used in the order of everyday policy, but is only used in exceptional circumstances."

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2012 elections

Anti-Abortion Crusader Aims To 'Humiliate' Obama As Dem Challenger

Evan McMorris-Santoro | January 20, 2011, 3:54PM

Randall Terry

Notorious anti-abortion noisemaker Randall Terry is running for president. Here's why: Terry thinks he can use his campaign as a vehicle to put graphic images of aborted fetuses on national television, preferably during the Super Bowl. The strategy worked for him last year, when the Terry-managed Missy Reilly Smith campaign -- she was a candidate for DC delegate to the House -- was able to broadcast ads so graphic YouTube pulled them.

So, that's the plan: raise enough money with his campaign to get a graphic anti-abortion ad on during the Super Bowl in 2012 by using his presidential candidacy as a hook to prevent TV stations from refusing to air them in the middle of the primary calendar. (More on the scheme here.)

But at a press conference held outside the Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington today, Terry outlined loftier goals for his run for president, including freeing the tea party movement from leaders he says are intent on shying away from social issues and the humiliation of President Obama in Iowa, the state where his unlikely journey to the White House began in earnest back in 2008.

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Pres '12

Obama And DNC Gearing Up For 2012 With Staff Reshuffling

Eric Kleefeld | January 20, 2011, 2:49PM

President Barack Obama and DNC Chair Tim Kaine

In some big news, President Obama is running for re-election. Well, we knew that already -- but his campaign is gearing up with some important staff reshuffles.

As the Chicago Tribune reports, Obama has made the much-anticipated decision that Chicago will host his campaign headquarters. This is a departure from recent history, compared to presidents in the past few decades who based their re-election campaigns in the D.C. metropolitan area. It is believed that an anti-Washington climate may have contributed to the decision.

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Abortion

Santorum Doubles Down: Abortions Violate Civil Rights Like Slavery Did

Jillian Rayfield | January 20, 2011, 2:16PM

Fmr. Sen. Rick Santorum (R-PA)

Rick Santorum doubled down today on his comments about President Obama, race, and abortion, again comparing the constitutional rights of the "unborn" to the constitutional rights of black people: "I am disappointed that President Obama, who rightfully fights for civil rights, refuses to recognize the civil rights of the unborn in this country."

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2012

PPP Poll: Obama Widens Lead On 2012 GOP Contenders

Jon Terbush | January 20, 2011, 1:27PM

President Obama's approval rating improved over the last few weeks, and now so too has his standing in hypothetical 2012 matchups with the leading GOP candidates, according to a new PPP poll.

In the poll, Obama increased his lead over several front runners for the Republican presidential nomination since PPP last polled the head-to-head matchups two months ago. He also easily topped a bonus candidate included in the survey, Michele Bachmann, who is reportedly considering a White House bid.

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China

GOP Rep: China A 'Gangster' -- And Religion-Suppressing Organ-Stealer (VIDEO)

Eric Kleefeld | January 20, 2011, 1:24PM

Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA)

Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA) is not being shy about his opposition to friendly relations with China. In an appearance Wednesday night on Parker-Spitzer, Rohrabacher was asked about his description of the country as "the world's worst human rights abuser." And he didn't back down.

Kathleen Parker asked Rohrabacher whether this language was the best way to start the state visit of Chinese leader Hu Jintao.

"It certainly is, when you're talking to a gangster. If you treat him like a nice guy, he's not gonna respect you at all. Our trouble is, we've been dealing with these people as if they're Englishmen or Belgians, or something like that, when in reality, this is a gangster regime that murders their own people, and should be treated in that way, or they won't respect us."

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Pres '12

Pawlenty Outspending Romney In Iowa Contributions

Eric Kleefeld | January 20, 2011, 1:08PM

Former Gov. Tim Pawlenty (R-MN) and former Gov. Mitt Romney (R-MA)

Former Gov. Tim Pawlenty (R-MN) inched ahead of one of his top potential rivals in the key presidential caucus state of Iowa -- outspending Mitt Romney in contributions to candidates there in the final quarter of 2010.

The Star Tribune reports:

Pawlenty gave $34,000 to 19 politicians and organizations through his Iowa Freedom First political action committee, while Romney donated $16,000 with his PAC, according to Iowa campaign finance reports. Pawlenty also kept pace with Romney on the state fundraising front, raising $81,000 to Romney's $87,500.

...

One downside for Pawlenty: He has just $1,900 remaining in his Iowa account, while Romney still has $108,600 in the bank.

[TPM SLIDESHOW: Meet The 2012 GOPers: Ex-Gov. Tim Pawlenty (R-MN)]

Stephen Colbert

Colbert: Lavish Black-Tie Dinner May Give China The Wrong Idea On U.S. Debt (VIDEO)

David Taintor | January 20, 2011, 1:02PM

Stephen Colbert

Stephen Colbert last night said Obama's lavish state dinner for Chinese President Hu Jintao might give China the wrong idea about America's debt issues.

"Is (Obama) crazy?" Colbert said. "President Hu knows full well that he's the one footing the bill for the duck pâté Lincoln Memorial. Think about it, if you're down on your luck, and you borrow a bunch of cash from your brother-in-law, you don't invite him over to check out your new 52-inch flat screen."

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Steve Cohen

Tennessee Dem Cohen: 'I Never Called Republicans Nazis'

Ryan J. Reilly | January 20, 2011, 1:00PM

Rep. Steve Cohen (D-TN)

Rep. Steve Cohen (D-TN), who got in some hot water this week for comparing the rhetorical tactics used by Republicans in the health care debate to those used by Nazi propagandist Joseph Goebbels, issued a new statement Thursday expressing regret that his statement offended Jewish groups.

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House Republicans

Conservative Republican Study Committee Outlines $2.5 Trillion In Spending Cuts

Brian Beutler | January 20, 2011, 1:00PM

Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH)

Conservative House members on the Republican Study Committee, chaired by Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH), have outlined a program they claim can cut $2.5 trillion in spending over the course of a decade. Like most major spending cut proposals, this one's not entirely rigorous. It relies principally on an aspirational spending cap -- specifically, limiting non-defense appropriations totals to their 2006 levels without adjusting for inflation. In other words, it punts the question of what to cut to future Congresses, which could just as easily bust the cap.

That accounts for nearly $2.3 trillion of the projected cuts. But the plan also calls for a host of specific cuts to make up the remaining few hundred billion dollars.

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Mark Kelly

Giffords' Husband 'Extremely Hopeful' She Will Make Full Recovery

David Taintor | January 20, 2011, 12:46PM

Rep. Gabrielle Giffords' (D-AZ) husband Mark Kelly today said he's "extremely hopeful" Giffords will make a full recovery after the mass shooting in Tucson almost two weeks ago.

"I mean, she is a fighter like nobody else that I know," Kelly said during a press conference. "I am extremely confident that she's going to be back here, and back at work soon."

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John Boehner

Quinnipiac Poll: What Do Boehner's Tears Say About Him?

Jon Terbush | January 20, 2011, 11:57AM

Speaker of the House John Boehner (R-OH) cried when Republicans took back the House. He sniffled in an interview with 60 Minutes. And he's teared up in several speeches on the House floor. Perhaps now he'll cry again, as a pollster has gone and asked his constituents whether the House leader was tarnishing his image with all that sobbing.

Yes, Quinnipiac University recently gauged Ohio voters' opinion of several lawmakers, tacking on a bonus question asking whether Boehner's wet-eyed sentimentality was a sign of strength or weakness.

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Health Care

GOP Rep: Virginia Didn't Accept George III, Won't Accept Obamacare (VIDEO)

Eric Kleefeld | January 20, 2011, 11:46AM

Rep. Morgan Griffith (R-VA)

Hmm, somebody didn't get the civility memo.

During yesterday's House debate on repealing health care reform, one freshman Republican offered a fun example of the rhetoric on the right, comparing the policies of the elected Obama administration and previously elected Democratic Congress to oppressive regimes of times past.

"As Virginians, we did not accept the chains of George III," said Rep. Morgan Griffith (R-VA). "Nor will we accept the chains of Obamacare."

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2012 elections

Santorum Makes Another Hire In New Hampshire

Jillian Rayfield | January 20, 2011, 11:33AM

Fmr. Sen. Rick Santorum (R-PA)

Rick Santorum has added to his political team in New Hampshire, signaling again that he will potentially make a run for president in 2012.

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2012 Presidential Primaries

Poll: Big Name Republicans Still Top 2012 GOP Field

Jon Terbush | January 20, 2011, 11:15AM

Former Gov. Mitt Romney (R-MA), former Gov. Mike Huckabee (R-AR), former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin (R-AK)

With one year to go before the first votes are cast in the 2012 presidential primaries, former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee holds a narrow advantage nationally for the party nod, with Sarah Palin and Mitt Romney close behind, according to a new ABC-Washington Post poll.

Among a crowded hypothetical field of 14 candidates, Huckabee came out on top with 21%, though Palin and Romney were close on his heels at 19% and 17%, respectively. The poll has a margin of error of 5.5%, meaning the three front runners are locked in a statistical dead heat.

Beyond those top three candidates, the tallies drop off significantly, with no other candidate breaking into double digits. Newt Gingrich placed fourth at 9%, followed by New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (8%) and Texas Gov. Rick Perry (3%). Mitch Daniels, Mike Pence, and Tim Pawlenty tied at 2% each, while Haley Barbour, Jon Huntsman, Jim DeMint, and Rick Santorum all garnered 1%. John Thune polled under 1%.

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CT-SEN

Rep. Chris Murphy Launches CT-SEN Campaign, Second Dem In The Race (VIDEO)

Eric Kleefeld | January 20, 2011, 11:03AM

Rep. Chris Murphy (D-CT)

Democrats now have a primary in the Connecticut Senate race, where incumbent independent Sen. Joe Lieberman is retiring. Rep. Chris Murphy has officially announced his campaign -- and in his announcement video, he clearly pitches himself as a more liberal change from the ex-Dem Lieberman who split with the party over foreign policy.

"Connecticut deserves a new progressive voice in the Senate," Murphy says "who listens to us, who knows that creating jobs requires extending health care to all Americans, and that reducing our deficit means bringing these wars to an end."

Murphy also makes an interesting pledge of openness during the campaign: "So think of this as me knocking on your door. If you send me a question or a comment, I'll respond -- to every single one. Because the only way we do this, is together."

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Joe Lieberman

Lieberman: 'Too Early' To Say Whether I'll Support Obama In 2012 (VIDEO)

Eric Kleefeld | January 20, 2011, 10:35AM

Sen. Joseph Lieberman (I-CT)

With Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-CT) retiring in 2012, he's already positioning himself to be as independent as he's ever been. In an interview with the right-wing NewsMax site, the former Democrat said that it's "too early" to decide whether he would support President Obama's re-election bid in 2012.

"I haven't agreed with everything he's done, but I think he's building a decent record," said Lieberman, who endorsed and campaigned aggressively for Republican nominee John McCain in 2008. "The reason I said it's too early is because we're only halfway through the Obama administration and we don't know who the Republicans will put up, so I'll watch it with real interest."

[TPM SLIDESHOW: Goodbye, Joe: Lieberman Announces He'll Retire In 2012]

Is it conceivable that he could back a Republican, NewsMax asked? "It's conceivable, but I wouldn't want to overstate that," Lieberman responded, "because I think in many ways President Obama, particularly in the past several months, has heard the voice of the American people in the election last November, and I think he's followed that course."

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Nuclear Energy

New Treaty Opens Russia to American Nuclear Industry

Neal Ungerleider | January 20, 2011, 10:34AM

Tennessee Valley Authority nuclear plant

A recently implemented American-Russian nuclear agreement will pave the way for joint energy projects around the world -- including the transport of nuclear waste to cash-hungry Russia.

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Health Care

Republicans Claim To Have 'Repealed Obamacare' -- Except They Didn't

Brian Beutler | January 20, 2011, 10:14AM

Rep. Joe Wilson (R-SC)

Republicans were pretty excited about yesterday's House vote to repeal health care reform. A bit too excited.

"WE JUST REPEALED OBAMACARE!" Rep. Joe Wilson (R-SC) tweeted in all caps, exhibiting the same exuberance with which he screamed at President Obama during last year's State of the Union address.

Sarah Palin aide Rebecca Mansour retweeted an ally who tipped his hat. "Governor Palin's hard work and sacrifice made today's repeal of ObamaCare possible. Please tell the Governor Thank You."

One correct response to these statements is, "YOU LIE!"

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Pres '12

Report: Palin Putting Out Feelers In Iowa

Eric Kleefeld | January 20, 2011, 9:47AM

Former Gov. Sarah Palin (R-AK)

Sarah Palin is apparently not just making her political presence known on Facebook and Sean Hannity's TV show -- her PAC is also making small contacts in the crucial presidential caucus state of Iowa.

Real Clear Politics reports:

But a Palin adviser confirmed that although the 2008 Republican vice presidential nominee's footprint has not been as heavy as that of other possible candidates, her political action committee has indeed been taking discreet steps in Iowa that would help her build a credible campaign here if she decided to launch one.

"The idea that we're not in Iowa is inaccurate," SarahPAC adviser Andy Davis told RealClearPolitics.

In addition, an unnamed top official from the Iowa Tea Party group told Real Clear Politics that he had been in contact with Palin allies, and the official has begun work on scheduling an invitation to Palin for a fundraiser in Iowa.

Health Care

Pro Health Care Group Targets GOP Freshmen For Repeal Vote (VIDEO)

Brian Beutler | January 20, 2011, 9:30AM

House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and President Barack Obama

That didn't take long.

Moments after House Republicans (and three Democrats) voted to repeal President Obama's health care law, TV ads went live in the districts of three GOP freshmen in contested districts to knock them for that vote.

The ads target Reps. Jim Renacci (R-OH), who ousted John Boccieri in November, Jon Runyan (R-NJ) who knocked off John Adler, and Tim Walberg (R-MI), who defeated Mark Schauer.

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Michael Steele

Michael Steele Claims His RNC Was 'A Very Lean Machine' (VIDEO)

Ryan J. Reilly | January 20, 2011, 9:30AM

Michael Steele

Recently ousted Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele -- who oversaw the organization's expenditures at bondage-themed restaurants, its plunge into $22 million in debt and a bare bones fundraising effort -- claimed Wednesday his RNC was "a very lean machine."

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Health Care

Bachmann: Repeal The Senate To Undermine Socialist 'Obamacare' (VIDEO)

Brian Beutler | January 20, 2011, 9:17AM

Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN)

No House majority likes to see its accomplishments buried in the graveyard of the Senate. That's why Republicans, who cherished the Senate's anti-majoritarian rules for the last two years, are already complaining about how their plans to repeal the health care law have just run into a dead end.

The logical solution to this problem, of course, is filibuster reform, unless you are Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN), in which case it's more repealing of things. Specifically, Bachmann wants to repeal President Obama and the Senate and replace them with something more sympathetic.

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Fox News

PPP Poll: Republicans Really Only Trust Fox Among Major News Networks

Jon Terbush | January 20, 2011, 8:45AM

Sean Hannity

Fox News reported, and Republicans decided: Only Fox News can be trusted.

According to a new PPP poll, a majority of Republicans nationwide distrust every major news network except for Fox News, Rupert Murdoch's right-leaning cable powerhouse. Over six in ten Republicans say they don't trust ABC, NBC, CNN, and CBS, while a near majority of 48% find something suspicious about PBS as well.

Among self-identified Republicans in the poll, 67% said they trusted Fox News, while 22% said they did not trust Fox. Those numbers were inverted almost perfectly for the other networks, with Republicans distrusting CBS by a margin of 66% to 15%, ABC by 64% to 17%, NBC by 62% to 21%, and CNN by 61% to 22%. And perhaps fearing that PBS was funded by donations from viewers unlike them, a 48% plurality of Republicans said they didn't trust that network, while just 29% said they did trust the publicly funded station.

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Paul LePage

LePage Spox Defends Governor's Referencing Of Black 'Son'

David Taintor | January 20, 2011, 8:40AM

Gov. Paul LePage (R-ME)

Ken Altshuler of WGAN radio in Maine grilled Gov. Paul LePage spokesperson Dan Demerrit on Wednesday over the governor's claim that he has an adopted black son.

It turns out that Devon Raymond Jr. is not technically LePage's adopted son, but he moved in with the LePage family in 2002.

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Health Care

Now Is Our Health Care Moment, House Democrats Say

Evan McMorris-Santoro | January 20, 2011, 8:39AM

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA)

In the basement of the Capitol Wednesday, House Democrats gathered to do something that would have been almost unheard of in, say, October of 2010: openly discuss the health care law they passed last March. But he House vote to repeal the law, which came courtesy of the newly-crowned Republican majority Wednesday, has turned the minority Democratic caucus into a lean, mean, health care bill-defending machine.

It was quite a change from the party of election 2010, which seemed more interested in discussing just about anything else than the landmark law that was at the center of President Obama's domestic policy agenda and dominated political discussion for more than a year.

Reporters in the room Wednesday afternoon -- part of a "bloggers row" set up by Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi to set the stage for the Republican-led repeal vote -- noticed the change in tone on the health care law, and we asked the Democrats to explain what happened.

The simple answer, from multiple Democrats today: The law that was just a vague plan to improve the nation's health care delivery system for much of 2010 is now beginning to go into effect, meaning that Democrats now have something tangible to defend. And thanks to the voters in November, most of the Democrats who were really wary of reform (and voted against it when it came up) are now gone.

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Paul LePage

Did Maine Gov. LePage Even Speak To NAACP About Visiting Only Black Prisoners?

David Taintor | January 20, 2011, 8:38AM

Maine Governor Paul LePage (R)

Maine Gov. Paul LePage (R) apparently never spoke with local NAACP organizers over visiting black prisoners in jail, the Portland Press Herald reports. That conversation had served as the supposed justification for LePage's eventual "kiss my butt" diss to the NAACP.

LePage says the NAACP invited him to meet with black prisoners at a state prison on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, an offer he declined. He said he would only go if he could meet with all prisoners, but that it wasn't acceptable to them. When the NAACP criticized his non-participation, he told them to "kiss my butt."

But Maine NAACP director Rachel Talbot Ross told the Press Herald that the invitation fiasco never even happened.

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Health Care

Lock, Stock, and Barrel: House Votes To Repeal Health Care Law

Brian Beutler | January 19, 2011, 5:53PM

House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH)

The House of Representatives voted Wednesday evening to repeal the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act -- President Obama's signature accomplishment and the single most consequential piece of legislation Democrats passed in the 111th Congress.

All Republicans and 3 Democrats voted for the repeal measure, while 189 Democrats voted to preserve the new reforms. The final vote was 245-189. The three Democrats who voted for repeal were Reps. Mike Ross (D-AR), Mike McIntyre (D-NC) and Dan Boren (D-OK). The only member who didn't vote was Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-AZ), who remains in the hospital following an assassination attempt on Jan. 8.

The vote fulfills one of the GOP's main promises to its base ahead of the November midterms, when they retook control of the House from the Democrats. But it's a Pyrrhic victory for conservatives. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has signaled he won't hold a vote on repeal, and any effort by the GOP to force that vote will be met with fierce resistance by Democrats who still hold a majority in the upper chamber.

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Health Care

Dems Press GOPers To Repeal Their Own Benefits Along With Health Care Law

Brian Beutler | January 19, 2011, 5:43PM

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA)

Democrats are basically powerless in the House, but they can force Republicans to take uncomfortable votes pretty regularly.

Using a procedural tool called the motion to recommit, Democrats forced Republicans to take a stand on whether or not members of Congress should receive federal health care benefits. The measure would have made repeal of the health care law contingent on more than half of all members of Congress opting out of the Federal Employees Health Benefit Program.

It reads that repeal shall "not take effect unless and until the Director of the Office of Personnel Management certifies to the Congress that a majority of the Members of the House of Representatives and a majority of Members of the Senate have, as of the date that is 30 days after the date of initial passage of this Act in the respective House, voluntarily and permanently withdrawn from any participation, and waived all rights to participate, as such a Member in the federally funded Federal employees health benefits program (FEHBP) under chapter 89 of title 5, United States Code, effective with the first month after the date of execution of such a withdrawal and waiver."

Republicans voted it down: it isn't the most comfortable issue for them.

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2012 elections

Santorum On Obama & Abortion: 'Almost Remarkable For A Black Man' To Say We Can Decide Who's A Person (VIDEO)

Jillian Rayfield | January 19, 2011, 5:34PM

Rick Santorum

Potential 2012 presidential candidate and former Sen. Rick Santorum (R-PA) doesn't understand how President Obama could not answer whether a "human life" is protected by the Constitution from the moment of conception: "The question is -- and this is what Barack Obama didn't want to answer -- is that human life a person under the Constitution? And Barack Obama says no. Well if that person -- human life is not a person, then -- I find it almost remarkable for a black man to say, 'we're going to decide who are people and who are not people.'"

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Steve Cohen

Steve Cohen: 'I Meant What I Said' About GOPers And Nazis Lying

Ryan J. Reilly | January 19, 2011, 5:25PM

Rep. Steve Cohen (D-TN)

Rep. Steve Cohen (D-TN) isn't backing down from comments he made on the floor of the House last night comparing Republican's lies about health care to the lies of Nazi propagandist Joseph Goebbels.

"I meant what I said, that lies are wrong," Cohen told TPM in a phone interview Wednesday.

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Anthony Weiner

Weiner Rants On House Floor: GOP Lies On HCR Should Be A Drinking Game (VIDEO)

Jillian Rayfield | January 19, 2011, 5:18PM

Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-NY)

During the House debate on repeal of health care reform today, Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-NY) reprised his famous (or infamous) rant against Republicans: "You know, I want to just advise people watching at home playing that now popular drinking game of 'you take a shot whenever Republicans say something that's not true.' Please assign a designated driver. This is going to be a long afternoon."

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Steve Cohen

Tennessee Democrat: GOPers Lying About Health Care, Just Like The Nazis Did (VIDEO)

Ryan J. Reilly | January 19, 2011, 3:06PM

Rep. Steve Cohen (D-TN)

Republicans are lying about health care reform in their attempt to repeal the law, Rep. Steve Cohen (D-TN) said on the floor of the House last night. Just, he said, like Nazi propagandist Joseph Goebbels.

"They say it's a government takeover of health care, a big lie just like Goebbels," Cohen said.

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Rush Limbaugh

Limbaugh Mocks Chinese President Hu's Language (AUDIO)

Eric Kleefeld | January 19, 2011, 2:59PM

Rush Limbaugh

Rush Limbaugh is known for often using coded racist language, then accusing people of race-baiting if they complain. But this time, in commenting on the press conference held by President Obama and Chinese President Hu Jintao, he's just gone for some straight-out racist caricature.

As Media Matters has picked up, Limbaugh complained on his radio show today that there was not a constant voiceover translation on the broadcast of Hu's speech. In imitation, he then proceeded to do a mocking impression of Hu's language, as might have been featured in a movie or radio show from the first half of the last century.

Give it a listen.

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Health Care

Democrats Welcome Health Care Spending Fight With Republicans

Brian Beutler | January 19, 2011, 2:27PM

As much as conservatives would like Wednesday's House vote on repealing health care to be binding, it's really just symbolic. The Republicans' real legislative leverage over the bill will come during spending fights later this year, when the GOP appropriators in the House can demand funding cuts to stymie the implementation of the law.

Democrats in the Senate will object, and if the two chambers don't break the gridlock, it could even lead to a government shutdown. To push the GOP back from the brink, Democrats will cast the skirmish with Republicans not as an abstract fight over spending, but as a disagreement between the parties over providing benefits to people.

At a health care event in the basement of the Capitol on Wednesday, top Democrats laid this strategy out. "I think we have to discreetly respond, 'This is what withholding funding for this aspect of [the law] -- this is what it means to you,'" said House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi.

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RNC

Priebus's New Team Includes Ed Gillespie, Henry Barbour

Eric Kleefeld | January 19, 2011, 2:14PM

RNC Chairman Reince Priebus

Newly elected Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus officially announced today the line-up for his transition team, with a clear message that the RNC wants to put the controversies of the Michael Steele years behind them -- or, in the press release's words, "implementing the plan to restore faith in Republican donors and communicate with the American public."

Notably on the team are Ed Gillespie, a former RNC chairman during President George W. Bush's first term, and Henry Barbour, an RNC member from Mississippi -- and a nephew of Gov. Haley Barbour, who for his part is also a potential presidential candidate and a former RNC chairman.

"When I ran for Chairman of the RNC, I promised to make changes and begin the outreach process with key Republican donors," Priebus said in the press release. "Today, I am honored to announce the team that will help ensure Republicans have a top-notch ground game in the 2012 election cycle. Together, we will build on our success in 2010 and take back the White House and the United States Senate."

2012 elections

PPP Poll: Huckabee Tops 2012 GOP Field In Texas

Jon Terbush | January 19, 2011, 1:23PM

Mike Huckabee

Republicans in Texas want Mike Huckabee as the party's presidential nominee in 2012, with GOP voters there preferring the former Arkansas governor to their own current governor, Rick Perry, by a nearly three to one ratio, according to a new PPP poll.

In the poll, 24% of respondents said Huckabee was their first choice for the party nod. Sarah Palin and Newt Gingrich each notched 17%, while Ron Paul and Mitt Romney tied at 10%. Perry trailed the pack at 9% despite being immensely popular with the GOP base in his home state. Sixty-five percent of Republican voters there approve of Perry's job performance, versus 26% who disapprove, according to the poll.

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Gabrielle Giffords

Report: Giffords To Be Released From Hospital On Friday

Jillian Rayfield | January 19, 2011, 1:05PM

Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-AZ)

Less than two weeks after she was shot in the head in Tucson, Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-AZ) will reportedly be released from the hospital.

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CT-SEN

Goodbye, Joe -- Lieberman Announces He'll Retire In 2012

Eric Kleefeld | January 19, 2011, 12:52PM

Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-CT)

Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-CT), the man whose rich and varied political career has seen him become a one-time Democratic vice presidential nominee, a party apostate, and then a prodigal son of sorts, has now made it official -- announcing that he will retire from the Senate in 2012, after four terms in office.

Lieberman began the announcement by thanking his wife Hadassah, and telling a joke. "I was thinking about a year into the Senate service, with all the back and forth travel, it's not easy on the spouses. And Hadassah said to me, 'Joey, how long are you gonna stay in the Senate?'

"And I said, 'Sweetie, I want to make a promise to you: I promise that when Regis leaves television, I'll leave the Senate. And here we are."

Lieberman's announcement follows yesterday's news that a high-profile Democrat, former Connecticut Secretary of State Susan Bysiewicz, was jumping into the race. The news was a clear sign that even though Lieberman had publicly mulled running again as a Democrat, there were a good number of state Dem politicians who were not willing to give him a free pass. And in addition, the polls showed that he would face a serious uphill climb in trying to win.

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2012 Presidential Primaries

Pawlenty Meeting With Anti-Gay Iowa Group Next Month

Jillian Rayfield | January 19, 2011, 12:52PM

Tim Pawlenty

Tim Pawlenty, who is considering a run for president in 2012, is continuing to court the social conservative vote, reportedly planning an appearance next month with Bob Vander Plaats' anti-gay group in Iowa.

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Pres '12

Dick Cheney: 'I'm Intrigued' By Mitch Daniels For President (VIDEO)

Eric Kleefeld | January 19, 2011, 11:42AM

Former Vice President Dick Cheney and Gov. Mitch Daniels (R-IN)

Former Vice President Dick Cheney is offering some effusive praise for one of the potential Republican presidential candidates: Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels, who previously served as Budget Director during the first term of the Bush-Cheney administration.

In an interview with Jamie Gangel of NBC News, Cheney said: "We've got a lot of good prospective candidates out there.

"And I'm intrigued for example by, oh, someone like Mitch Daniels. I like Mitch because he's got a breadth of experience, as OMB Director for example, because he's run a major of a big corporation, he's run a think tank -- Hudson Institute -- he's now been governor of Indiana, and he's done in Indiana what I think we need to do at the national level.

"Now, will Mitch run? I don't know whether he'll run or not. Is he the only potential candidate out there? No, we've got a lot of other good ones: Chris Christie from New Jersey; Tim Pawlenty from Minnesota."

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Giffords shooting

Poll: Six In Ten Voters Want Police Presence At Congressional Forums

Jon Terbush | January 19, 2011, 11:22AM

Capitol police

Following the shooting earlier this month in Arizona that killed six and left Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-AZ) in the hospital after being shot in the head, voters overwhelmingly want their elected representatives to keep holding town hall style meetings, but to do so with a beefed up security detail, according to a new poll commissioned by The Hill.

In the poll, 91% of respondents said it was either "very important" or "somewhat important" for lawmakers to continue meeting with their constituents. In addition, 60% said that police should be present at those gatherings, versus just 28% who said that police did not need to be there.

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The Daily Show

Jon Stewart Dismantles Hannity's Palin Interview (VIDEO)

David Taintor | January 19, 2011, 11:08AM

Jon Stewart

Jon Stewart last night said Sean Hannity played "nurse" to Sarah Palin during their interview Monday night, and was eager to upgrade her victim status from "innocent bullied teenager to Joan of Arc."

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Eric Cantor

Republicans Discover Their Love For Filibuster Reform -- House Republicans, That Is

Brian Beutler | January 19, 2011, 11:01AM

Rep. Eric Cantor (R-VA)

Senate Democrats who want to reform the filibuster may have found an unlikely ally: House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA).

"I've got a problem with the assumption here that somehow the Senate can be a place for legislation to go into a cul-de-sac or dead end," Cantor told reporters this morning.

He's referring specifically, of course, to the Repealing the Job Killing Health Care Law Act, which the House will pass tonight. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) says the bill is a partisan exercise, and a non-starter -- thus, Cantor and other Republicans want the upper chamber to discover its populist side.

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Health Care

Dem Rep: Tucson Hero Wants Health Care Bill Kept In Place

Evan McMorris-Santoro | January 19, 2011, 10:49AM

Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL)

As Democrats ramp up their day-long press tour to criticize the House Republican plan to vote on a repeal of the landmark health care reform bill today, Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz is using this month's tragedy in Tucson to take on the GOP.

Speaking at a press conference this morning, Wasserman Schultz -- who was joined by several other Democratic members of Congress as well as several Obama administration officials including Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius -- said that one of the heroes of the Jan. 8 shooting in Tucson that left six dead and Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-AZ) in the hospital is opposed to the House legislative action today.

"Normally I would step to a microphone like this and tell a story about the impact that decision might have on a constituent in my district," Wasserman Schultz said. "Instead what I'm going to do is share with you what Pat Maisch -- who was the hero who dropped the second magazine out of the gunman's hand during the tragedy in Tucson -- what she planned to say to Gabby Giffords when she was waiting on line to talk to her."

Wasserman Schultz said Maisch wanted the health care reforms signed into law by President Obama in March kept in place, and that the Arizona grandmother bemoaned the tone of the repeal debate led by the new Republican House majority.

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Michael Steele

Steele Blasts Priebus For Betrayal: 'I Know Exactly How Caesar Felt'

Eric Kleefeld | January 19, 2011, 10:13AM

Former RNC Chairman Michael Steele

Former Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele sat down for an interview with Tim Mak of FrumForum, to defend his record after he was defeated for re-election last week. And for Steele, one sore point seems to be the victory of the new RNC Chairman Reince Priebus -- a former seeming ally of his, who then turned on him.

Mak reports:

"I know exactly how Caesar felt," Steele says, without a hint of irony. "It is what it is." He claims that Priebus had been planning to defect for six, seven, eight months before announcing a bid for the chairmanship. Steele was blindsided. "I trust my friends. Well, I guess the adage is right. In Washington, you should get a dog...We put a lot of resources in Wisconsin over the last two years...that's what you do for [the] team."

Steele is referring to the assassination of Julius Caeasr, who was stabbed by group of Roman senators that included his great friend and ally Brutus. According to legend, Caesar said to Brutus, "Et Tu, Brute?" -- "And you, Brutus?"

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Harry Reid

Harry Reid: Chinese Pres Hu is A 'Dictator' ... Maybe I Shouldn't Have Said That

Eric Kleefeld | January 19, 2011, 9:30AM

Harry Reid (D-NV)

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) has an interesting perspective on the differences between the political systems of America and China -- and what he should and shouldn't be saying about the matter.

As Jon Ralston reports, from an interview with Reid:

Only Harry Reid, when asked about whether he still thought the lame-duck tax cut deal was a good one, would begin his serpentine answer thusly:

"I am going to go back to Washington and meet with the president of China. He is a dictator. He can do a lot of things through the form of government they have. Maybe I shouldn't have said dictator. But they have a different type of government then we have and that is an understatement."

First, you might wonder what Hu Jintao has to do with the question I asked. (Reid would later make clear he was comparing China with America, where compromise is essential in "the best system ever devised to rule the affairs of men and women.")

Sure, what Reid said is not exactly false. But still, this might not be the right thing for a top American leader to say when Hu is embarking on a major state visit to this country.

Sarah Palin

Gallup Poll: Palin's Unfavorability Rating Hits All-Time High

Jon Terbush | January 19, 2011, 9:16AM

Former Gov. Sarah Palin (R-AK)

Sarah Palin has yet to decide if she will run for President, but a USA Today/Gallup poll released Tuesday may give her some pause, as it finds that her popularity nationwide has sunk to a record low.

In the poll, 38% of respondents said they viewed Palin favorably, while 53% said they viewed her unfavorably. That represents the worst favorability rating Palin has posted in the Gallup poll since John McCain put her on the national stage in 2008 when he named her as his running mate.

In the last Gallup poll, from November 2010, Palin's unfavorability rate was 52%, compared to 40% favorable.

The 53% of respondents who now say they view her unfavorably is on par with the 54% of respondents who said they viewed former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi unfavorably. Pelosi just presided over the House Dems' loss of 63 seats.

Read more »

Barack Obama

Obama All Alone Over Business-Friendly Regulatory Plan?

Brian Beutler | January 19, 2011, 8:56AM

President Barack Obama meets with Republican and Democratic leaders

Speaking of things Republicans claim credit for, they began the day Tuesday morning citing themselves as the inspiration for President Obama's decision this week to require federal agencies to tailor rules and regulations in a more business-friendly way. The move rankled progressive advocates and briefly united Obama once again with Republicans against his liberal supporters. But his administration quickly insisted that the new rules would not constitute a dramatic change in policy -- particularly with respect to big-ticket items like health care and Wall Street reform -- and by Wednesday morning he was once again left with few allies.

"[The] Executive Order from President Obama shows that he heard the same message I did in the last election - that Americans are sick and tired of Washington's excessive overreach and overspending," said House Majority Leader Eric Cantor in a statement to reporters Tuesday, welcoming the development.

Read more »

CT-SEN

Reports: Lieberman Expected To Announce Retirement

Eric Kleefeld | January 18, 2011, 5:18PM

Sen. Joseph Lieberman (I-CT)

An increasing number of reports are indicating that Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-CT), who is set to announce tomorrow whether he will run again, will ultimately announce that he is retiring in 2012.

The Hartford Courant reports:

"You can bet the farm" that Lieberman won't seek a fifth term in 2012, said a Democratic insider who is close to the 22-year Senate veteran. But neither Lieberman nor his Senate office would confirm that.

And now The Day in New London reports:

Sen. Joe Lieberman will announce Wednesday that he won't seek re-election in 2012, multiple sources close to the senator said on Tuesday.

...

The Lieberman announcement will come just a day after Secretary of the State Susan Bysiewicz announced her plans to run for his seat.

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Pres '12

Pence To Decide On Pres. Campaign This Month

Eric Kleefeld | January 18, 2011, 4:33PM

Rep. Mike Pence (R-IN)

Rep. Mike Pence (R-IN), who is being eyed by some conservative activists as a potential candidate for president, now says he will make his decision soon.

The Indianapolis Star reports:

"We've been trying to listen first to Hoosiers and then to other voices around the country about where they think we might best serve in the years ahead," Pence told about 100 people at a conference room at Henry County Hospital in New Castle, Ind. "We'll be making a decision before the end of this month."

A committee was recently organized to draft Pence, using the nondescript name "America's President Committee."

Economy

Republicans: Job, Economic Growth The Result Of GOP Victories (VIDEO)

Brian Beutler | January 18, 2011, 3:58PM

Sen. Jon Kyl (R-AZ)

Top Republicans are claiming credit for a variety of metrics showing that the economy is improving. Expect this meme to snowball, particularly as Democrats have done little, so far, to stop it. On Fox News today, House Rules Committee Chair David Dreier (R-CA) contended the GOP deserves all the credit for recent economic growth.

"[W]e can get our economy growing. And we've gotten some positive numbers. I think it's in large part because we won our majority and we're pursuing pro-growth policies," he said.

In December, the Department of Labor announced that unemployment had fallen from 9.7 percent to 9.4 percent. Its data suggests private sector job growth has been increasing since the fall. The GOP has controlled the House for just over two weeks, but has yet to enact any major economic legislation -- and economists agree that even enacted fiscal policy will not be immediately reflected in economic growth.

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Earl Ray Tomblin

West Virginia Supreme Court Orders Special Gov. Election

Eric Kleefeld | January 18, 2011, 3:42PM

Acting Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin (D-WV)

Another state is going to have a gubernatorial election in this off-year, with the West Virginia state Supreme Court ruling that the government will have to hold a special election.

The governorship became vacant this past November, when Democratic Gov. Joe Manchin won the special U.S. Senate election to replace the late Dem Sen. Robert Byrd. West Virginia does not have a lieutenant governor position, but instead Democratic state Senate President Earl Ray Tomblin (D) became Acting Governor.

This led to a dispute over when the next election for governor would have to be. Tomblin had argued that it was not legally required to occur until the November 2012 general election -- when the office will be up for its regular vote, anyway -- while critics said that a special election was required before then.

In the end, the state supreme Court has come down on the side of Tomblin's critics, which will set off a special election some time this year, before November 15 -- the date last year when Manchin resigned and Tomblin took over.

CT-SEN

Lieberman To Announce 2012 Plans On Wednesday

Eric Kleefeld | January 18, 2011, 2:00PM

Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-CT)

Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-CT), who lost his Democratic primary in 2006 but has remained a (sometimes shaky) member of the Democratic caucus, will announce tomorrow whether he is running again in 2012.

A big development occurred in the race today, when former state Secretary of State Susan Bysiewicz threw her hat into the ring.

Lieberman has publicly mulled the idea of running as a Democrat. However, he would probably face a tough fight in a primary.

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Health Care

Hoyer: We Failed To Sell Health Care Reform

Brian Beutler | January 18, 2011, 1:03PM

House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer (D-MD)

Ahead of Wednesday's House vote on repealing the new health care law, Minority Whip Steny Hoyer assessed how the Democrats ended up so deeply on the defensive over their signature accomplishment.

In short, he said it was a messaging fail.

"None of us did a good enough job, because public opinion is divided and unsure of whether this legislation is going to be positive for them and their families," Hoyer told reporters at his weekly press availability. "About half are, and about half are not sure."

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Senate '12

Poll: Hatch Could Face Tough Road Back To Senate In 2012

Jon Terbush | January 18, 2011, 12:43PM

Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-UT)

In 2010, Utah Republicans ousted Sen. Bob Bennett at the party's nominating convention, and according to a new Utah Policy poll, they may be ready to give the state's other incumbent Senator the boot in 2012.

In the poll, Sen. Orrin Hatch (R) trailed two challengers in a hypothetical primary contest. Forty-eight percent of respondents said they'd support former Governor Jon Huntsman if he made a bid for the party nod, while 23% said they'd back Rep. Jason Chaffetz, and 21% said they'd support Hatch.

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Steve King

Steve King: 'Irrational Leftist Lust' Comment Based On Love, Not Violence

Eric Kleefeld | January 18, 2011, 12:28PM

Rep. Steve King (R-IA)

Rep. Steve King (R-IA) is further explaining his recent comment, made in a Human Events article, that Democrats passed health care reform because of an "irrational Leftist lust for socialized medicine." As he explained it in an interview just now on ABC News's Top Line, that's not such an incendiary thing to say.

King was asked about the comment, in light of recent commentary over whether heated political rhetoric contributed to the shooting of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-AZ).

"Well, I'd say first that the word 'lust' is more associated with love than it is with violence," King responded. "I didn't think it's an irrational comment at all -- I just see it as the situation we're in. I have an irrational lust to love the Constitution and fiscal responsibility and individualism."

King did say that the people in Washington have a responsibility to tone it down, but also said that he did not think "the anomalous tragedy in Tucson" was relevant to that.

Pres '12

Gingrich: Palin Needs To 'Think Through What She's Saying' (VIDEO)

Eric Kleefeld | January 18, 2011, 11:23AM

Former Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-GA) and Former Gov. Sarah Palin (R-AK)

Former Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-GA) is chiming in on the recent controversies involving a fellow potential presidential candidate, Sarah Palin, with some mild (but still quite clear) criticism -- that while he does respect her, she should watch what she says.

In an appearance on Good Morning America, Gingrich was asked by George Stephanopoulos about Palin's low approval ratings in recent opinion polls, and how she might turn it around. The recent "blood libel" flap involving Palin's response to accusations that her heated political rhetoric had contributed to the environment in which the shooting of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-AZ) occurred, was not directly mentioned, but it did seem to hang over the conversation.

"Well, I think that she's got to slow down and be a lot more careful, and think through what she's saying and how she's saying it," Gingrich responded. "There's no question that she's become more controversial. But she is still a phenomenon. I don't know anybody else in American politics who can put something on Twitter, or put something on Facebook, and automatically have it become a national story. So she remains, I think, a very formidable person in her own right."

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Giffords shooting

Poll: Americans High On Obama's Tucson Response -- And Low On Palin's

Jon Terbush | January 18, 2011, 11:10AM

Former Gov. Sarah Palin (R-AK) and President Barack Obama (D)

Sarah Palin may be reloading, but Americans are retreating from her--at least when it comes to how she responded to the shooting spree in Tucson that killed six and left Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-AZ) in critical condition.

According to a new ABC-Washington Post poll, just 30% of Americans approve of Palin's response to the shooting, versus 46% who disapprove. That low approval is even more striking when compared to Americans' opinion of how Obama responded to the tragedy. Seventy-eight percent of respondents said they approve of the President's response, while only 12% respondents said they disapprove.

Similarly, a PPP poll released this morning also found that a plurality of voters disapproved of Palin's response to the shooting. Forty percent of respondents to that poll said Palin's response was "inappropriate" compared to 27% who said it was appropriate.

And as Greg Sargent points out, not even a majority of Republicans think Palin handled her response well, according to the ABC-Washington Post poll. Forty-eight percent of Republicans said Palin handled the situation well, fewer than the 53% who said Palin's nemesis, the so-called "lame stream media," handled it well.

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Jon Stewart

Daily Show Bids Farewell To Puppet Michael Steele (VIDEO)

David Taintor | January 18, 2011, 10:42AM

Jon Stewart

Just days after Republicans elected Reince Priebus as the Republican National Committee's new chairman, Jon Stewart last night welcomed puppet Michael Steele to The Daily Show, one last time.

Puppet Steele has a rich history with The Daily Show, and the real Steele, of course, has his own record of gaffes.

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ND-SEN

Kent Conrad To Retire

Eric Kleefeld | January 18, 2011, 9:56AM

Sen. Kent Conrad (D-ND)

In a big development for the 2012 Senate races, Sen. Kent Conrad (D-ND) is set to announce that he is retiring, the Washington Post reports -- opening up a red-state seat that could be very tough for the Dems to hold.

A moderate Democrat, Conrad was first elected to the Senate in 1986. He initially retired in 1992, but was then elected to the state's other Senate seat in a late 1992 special election -- making him the only person to have ever held both of his state's Senate seats during the same day, when he was sworn in from one to the other. He was re-elected easily in 1994, 2000 and 2006.

He was one of the Democrats who helped sink the public option during the health care reform debates, but also helped to provide the 60th vote to pass the health care bill that ultimately did pass and was signed into law by President Obama.

His historically Republican state took an even bigger swing to the right in the past year, though. His fellow Dem Senator Byron Dorgan retired, with Republican John Hoeven easily winning the seat, and Democratic Rep. Earl Pomeroy was defeated for re-election.

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Scott Brown

Scott Brown: Forget The 'Itty-Bitty' R After My Name

Eric Lach | January 18, 2011, 9:46AM

Senator Scott Brown (R-MA)

Speaking at a Martin Luther King Jr. memorial breakfast in Boston yesterday, Sen. Scott Brown (R-MA) expressed support for bipartisan seating at the State of the Union. The one-time Tea Party poster boy minimized the importance of political affiliation, saying "people need to forget about the little itty-bitty letter behind my name and other people's names."

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CT-SEN

Report: Dem Susan Bysiewicz To Run Against Joe Lieberman

Eric Kleefeld | January 18, 2011, 9:44AM

Former Connecticut Secretary of State Susan Bysiewicz (D)

Former Connecticut Secretary of State Susan Bysiewicz (D) is set to declare that she is running for the Senate seat now held by independent Sen. Joe Lieberman -- who, of course, still sits as a member of the Senate Democratic caucus.

The Connecticut Mirror reports:

A friend briefed on her Senate plans said that Bysiewicz, who won statewide races for secretary of the state in 1998, 2002 and 2006, intends to circulate a pollster's memorandum detailing findings that she remains well-known and popular.

Her announcement is likely to nudge U.S. Reps. Chris Murphy and Joe Courtney, who also are considering a run for the Democratic nomination for Senate, toward a decision.

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Health Care

New Ad: GOP Wants To Repeal Health Benefits That Mirror Their Own

Brian Beutler | January 18, 2011, 9:41AM

Mitch McConnell (R-KY) and John Boehner (R-OH)

A new cable TV ad, running nationwide on CNN and in D.C. on all news channels, highlights the fact that Republicans want to repeal a law that provides regular people the same health benefits they receive as members of Congress.

"The Affordable Care Act gave your family the same health protections members of Congress get," the ad says. "But Republicans want to take that protection away from your family."

Complete with sad-looking baby in the background!

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Sarah Palin

Sarah Palin Defends 'Blood Libel,' Says Loughner Was 'Perhaps Even Left-Leaning' (VIDEO)

Ryan J. Reilly | January 18, 2011, 9:20AM

Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin on Monday night provided the nation with her definition of "blood libel" and defended her initial response to criticism of her map that featured the district of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-AZ) in crosshairs. The map was released almost a year before the shooting that nearly took Giffords's life earlier this month.

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Health Care

White House Steps Up Defense Of Health Care Reform

Brian Beutler | January 18, 2011, 9:12AM

Sec. of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius

With the GOP-controlled House of Representatives set to vote to repeal health care reform this week, the Obama administration is intensifying a public campaign to reframe the fight over the law: making it one in which Republicans are villains, trying to rescind benefits the Affordable Care Act provides people. One of those benefits is a ban on discrimination against people with pre-existing health conditions.

A report from the Department of Health and Human Services, published today, concludes that between 50 and 129 million Americans have pre-existing medical conditions, depending on the definition of the term. About 50 million Americans have pre-existing conditions as defined by state-run high-risk pools before the new health care law passed, according to the study. Likewise, a full 129 million have pre-existing conditions as defined by private health insurance companies.

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Health Care

How The Health Care Repeal Push Marks The End Of The Universal Health Care Consensus

Brian Beutler | January 18, 2011, 8:51AM

Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA)

Here's one case for the individual mandate in the health care law boiled down to two sentences -- both fairly elegant considering they were spoken extemporaneously.

"There isn't anything wrong with it, except some people look at it as an infringement upon individual freedom. But when it comes to states requiring it for automobile insurance, the principle then ought to lie the same way for health insurance, because everybody has some health insurance costs, and if you aren't insured, there's no free lunch. Somebody else is paying for it." -- June 14, 2009

A corollary to that argument is that you can't have a functioning private health care system that treats the sick unless it also draws money from the healthy. In this regard, the individual mandate actually marries two distinctly American priorities -- an obsession with private markets, and the core belief that nobody should go without health care.

Considering just how cacophonous the health care debate has become, it might surprise you to learn that the mystery reformer quoted above is Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA), the Republicans' health care point man in the Senate who, during the same interview, with great authority, claimed "I believe that there is a bipartisan consensus to have individual mandates."

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Paul LePage

LePage's Referencing Of Black 'Son' Puts Spotlight On Young Jamaican Man

David Taintor | January 18, 2011, 8:46AM

Gov. Paul LePage (R-ME)

Maine Gov. Paul LePage garnered much media attention last week when he responded to the NAACP's criticism of his planned non-participation in certain Martin Luther King Day events with a terse "kiss my butt."

LePage -- who on Monday ended up paying a visit to an MLK Day event after all -- defended his decision last week by saying he has a black son.

"Tell them to kiss my butt. If they want, they can look at my family picture. My son happens to be black, so they can do whatever they'd like about it."

This declaration drew focus onto LePage's relationship with the young man. And as the Portland Press Herald reports, the young man who LePage called his son -- Devon Raymond Jr. -- isn't technically his son. It remains unclear exactly how close the two are, or were -- or what the exact nature of their relationship is.

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2012 elections

Bolton: I Could Win The GOP Nomination In 2012

Jillian Rayfield | January 18, 2011, 8:14AM

Fmr. UN Amb. John Bolton

Former U.N. Ambassador John Bolton, rumored to be considering a presidential run in 2012, thinks he could win the Republican nomination if he ran: "Well, I think I could win the Republican nomination if I chose to run, because I do think I'm in the mainstream of the Republican Party."

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Chris Matthews

Steele Stands By Record On Hardball -- Without Gaffes! (VIDEO)

Eric Kleefeld | January 17, 2011, 5:40PM

Former Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele, who was defeated for re-election at the party's meeting just this past Friday, is now popping up again on cable TV. And in an appearance this afternoon on Hardball, the previously gaffe-tastic Steele was...a remarkably level-headed pundit, with the weight of the RNC taken off his shoulders.

At one point, Steele defended his fundraising record. "Well we raised enough money. $192 million is a lot money," said Steele. "And a lot of folks want to sneeze at that. That's a lot of money -- at least in my neighborhood, I don't know about anybody else's. (Laughs.)"

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Pres '12

Report: Rick Perry Polling Voters Outside Texas

Eric Kleefeld | January 17, 2011, 3:27PM

Gov. Rick Perry (R-TX)

Could Gov. Rick Perry (R-TX), who has campaigned in the past on his disgust with Washington, be testing out the idea of running for president?

Robert Bryce at National Review reports: "Political operatives in Austin tell me that Perry's campaign team has been quietly polling voters outside of the Lone Star State to gauge his chances on the national stage."

Perry also released a book recently, Fed Up! Our Fight to Save America From Washington, in which he declared: "It is not America that is broken; it is Washington that is broken."

Let's not be too quick to jump to conclusions, though. For all we know, Perry might just be trying to measure the feasibility of secession, after his flap about the subject in Spring 2009.

Late Update: Perry adviser Dave Carney strongly denied the report, telling Politico: "We have done no polling in any state other than Texas, period. Nor have we seen any polling that anyone or entity did in any other state. Unequivocally."

South Carolina primary

Santorum Headlines Pro-Life Rally In South Carolina

Eric Kleefeld | January 17, 2011, 2:47PM

Fmr. Sen. Rick Santorum (R-PA)

Former Sen. Rick Santorum (R-PA), a potential presidential candidate, appeared Sunday for a major pro-life rally at the state capitol in South Carolina, the key first-in-the-South presidential primary state.

The State reports:

This year's rally featured former U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania as its keynote speaker.

Santorum, a Republican presidential hopeful, told the crowd that the debate extends not just to abortion, but to euthanasia as well.

"The pro-life battle is being fought at the bedsides of the very young, the very old and the disabled," he said. "This isn't a debate we should even be having. Life should be respected at all levels."

Arnold Schwarzenegger

Schwarzenegger: Being Governor Cost Me At Least $200M

David Taintor | January 17, 2011, 1:41PM

Former California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R)

Poor Arnold Schwarzenegger. Fresh off the end of his last term as governor of California, he told an Austrian newspaper that his time in office cost him at least $200 million in expenses and lost income that he could have otherwise made from acting.

But don't pity the former governor just yet. "It was more than worth it," he said.

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Pres '12

'America's President' Group Formed To Draft Mike Pence

Eric Kleefeld | January 17, 2011, 1:38PM

Rep. Mike Pence (R-IN)

A new group calling itself "America's President Committee" has been established, seeking to draft one particular individual to run to be America's President -- Rep. Mike Pence (R-IN).

The Daily Caller reports:

The effort is coordinated by Ralph Banko, who worked as a deputy counsel in the Reagan Administration and in President George W. Bush's Office of Faith-based a Community Initiatives. "Mike Pence describes himself as 'First a Christian, then a conservative, then a Republican.' He unifies fiscal, social, and national security conservatives, and will energize the conservative coalition essential to wining back the White House in 2012," said Benko in a press release.

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Gabrielle Giffords

CNN Poll: Public Split On Whether Political Rhetoric Affected Giffords Shooting

Eric Kleefeld | January 17, 2011, 12:29PM

Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-AZ)

A new CNN poll finds the public split on the whether the national political discourse had any effect on the shooting in Tucson. On the other hand, there is a clear verdict deciding that a specific instance of political rhetoric -- Sarah Palin's crosshairs map -- did not contribute.

The poll asked: "Overall, how much do you blame each of the following for the shooting in Arizona -- a great deal, a moderate amount, not much, or not at all?"

For the question, "The use of harsh rhetoric and violent metaphors by politicians and commentators," 25% said a great deal, 23% a moderate amount, 17% not much, and 32% not at all -- for a total of 48% great deal/moderate amount, to 49% not much/not at all.

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John Boehner

Boehner: Washington Has A Spending 'Illness'

David Taintor | January 17, 2011, 12:06PM

House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH)

House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) thinks Washington has an "illness." And according to him, that illness is spending.

"The debt is a symptom of that illness," Boehner reportedly said at a Republican retreat in Baltimore Saturday. "The American people want it cured."

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Paul LePage

LePage Attends MLK Day Event Despite 'Kiss My Butt' Remark

Jillian Rayfield | January 17, 2011, 11:38AM

Gov. Paul LePage (R-ME)

Maine Gov. Paul LePage made a surprise visit to a Martin Luther King Day event today despite his earlier refusal to attend an event hosted by the NAACP and his assertion that they can "kiss my butt."

Read more »

Bill Maher

Bill Maher To Tea Partiers: 'The Founding Fathers Would Have Hated Your Guts' (VIDEO)

David Taintor | January 17, 2011, 11:24AM

Bill Maher

Bill Maher has some tough words for the tea party: "the founding fathers would have hated your guts."

And Maher thinks tea partiers would have hated the founding fathers, too.

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VA-SEN

Report: George Allen To Launch Comeback Senate Campaign Soon

Eric Kleefeld | January 17, 2011, 10:56AM

Former Sen. George Allen (R-VA)

We may not have seen the last of former Sen. George Allen (R-VA) -- and what's more, we could be in for a top-tier rematch between him and Sen. Jim Webb (D-VA), who defeated Allen in 2006.

Politico's Mike Allen reports:

George Allen, the former U.S. senator and Virginia governor, plans to tell supporters within a week that he is mounting a campaign to retake the Senate seat he lost to Sen. Jim Webb (D-Va.) in 2006. Allen, 58, the most prominent 2012 challenger to announce so far, has begun to line up key staff members. Webb, 64, who won by 1 percent, has sent mixed signals about whether he will seek reelection. DNC Chairman Tim Kaine, a former Virginia governor who could be the Democratic nominee if Webb bowed out, has been telling friends he thinks Webb will run.

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State Of The Union

Schumer And Coburn To Sit Together At State Of The Union (VIDEO)

Eric Kleefeld | January 17, 2011, 9:37AM

Sens. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Tom Coburn (R-OK)

Two big names are now on board with the push to have Democrats and Republicans sit together at the State of the Union, with Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) -- who previously endorsed the idea last week -- announcing that his date for the presidential prom will be none other than the very conservative Sen. Tom Coburn (R-OK).

The idea was proposed by the think-tank Third Way, which is identified with moderate Democrats, and taken up by Sen. Mark Udall (D-CO).

"My colleague Senator Mark Udall called for Democrats and Republicans to sit together at the State of the Union," Schumer said on Meet The Press. "I called up Tom after he did that, and he graciously agreed, we're going to sit together Wednesday night [ed. note: The address is in face next Tuesday.] at the State of the Union , and we hope that many others will follow us. Now, that's symbolic, but maybe it just sets a tone and everything gets a little bit more civil."

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Mobile Apps

Mobile Apps Come With Huge Privacy Loopholes, Little Transparency

Neal Ungerleider | January 17, 2011, 8:53AM

Any time Angry Birds or Yelp is opened on a smartphone, information is being sent to marketers -- and app developers aren't required to reveal it. Apps running on the iPhone, Android and BlackBerry platforms often collect personal information to be resold to marketing companies and initiatives such as Google's AdMob. These apps and others work in conjunction with in-phone GPS chips to give marketers detailed information on smartphone users' locations, gender, ages and, in some cases, personal contacts and use of other apps.

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Tim Pawlenty

Here, There And Everywhere: Tim Pawlenty's Media Tour (VIDEOS)

Eric Kleefeld | January 17, 2011, 8:41AM

Tim Pawlenty

Former Gov. Tim Pawlenty (R-MN), a potential presidential candidate who is much less well known to the national public than other Republicans, has been very busy of late. As we saw last week, he criss-crossed the media circuit, and had a lot to say.

From a strategic standpoint, this would make a lot of sense. Compared to other possible 2012 contenders out there -- Mitt Romney, Newt Gingrich, Sarah Palin, etc. -- Pawlenty has close to no name recognition throughout the country. Unlike Romney, he hasn't run for president before; unlike Gingrich, he hasn't held national office; and unlike Palin, he actually served two full terms as governor without resigning.

As such, many believe that the best thing Pawlenty can do right now is ramp up his book tour, promote himself before the media, and get onto as many TV sets as possible. So let's take a look at his various appearances from the past week.

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