Pres '12

Sarah Palin Trademark Rejected -- For Lack Of Signature

Eric Kleefeld | February 5, 2011, 1:39AM

Former Vice Presidential candidate Sarah Palin (R)

Sarah Palin's apparent attempt to trademark her name has just run into a legal obstacle -- specifically, she didn't sign the papers.

Reuters reports:

Applications to trademark the names Sarah Palin and Bristol Palin, both for "motivational speaking services," were filed on November 5 by the Palins' longtime family attorney, Thomas Van Flein, but were quickly slapped down by a trademark examiner.

"Registration is refused because the applied-for mark, SARAH PALIN, consists of a name identifying a particular living individual whose consent to register the mark is not of record," the patent agency said in an office action.

"Please note this refusal will be withdrawn if applicant provides written consent from the individual identified in the applied-for mark," the patent office said.

You mean her ghost-writer couldn't have signed it for her?

Michele Bachmann

Bachmann Drops Proposal To Cut Veterans' Benefits

Eric Kleefeld | February 4, 2011, 5:16PM

Michele Bachmann

Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN), the Tea Party star and possible presidential candidate who bypassed the GOP leadership and offered her own budget plan, has now dropped a very controversial part of her plan to deal with the deficits: Cuts to veterans' benefits.

In a statement posted on her Web site, Bachmann writes:

"One point on my discussion list was a $4.5 billion proposal that would affect payments made to our veterans. That discussion point has received a lot of attention and I have decided to remove it from consideration. The problem of government spending must be solved, but not on the backs of our nation's war heroes. I have always been a proud supporter of the United States military and I continue to stand with our veterans. In the months ahead I look forward to working with our Veterans Service Organizations to ensure that we fulfill our commitments to those who sacrificed so much in their brave service for our country."

Read more »

Health Care

Freshman GOPer Didn't Know Government Paid For Her Health Benefits

Brian Beutler | February 4, 2011, 4:44PM

Rep. Ann Buerkle (R-NY)

A fun nugget buried in this story about Rep. Ann Buerkle's (R-NY) first town hall meeting as an elected member of Congress. Constituents repeatedly asked a puzzled Buerkle about her health benefits. She couldn't figure out why. But her staff sure could.

Buerkle, who voted to repeal the health care reform act, was twice asked about the health insurance she receives as a government employee. At first she said she couldn't understand why people were so interested in her health insurance, and that taxpayers didn't pay anything for it. She later corrected herself after being handed a note from a staffer. Like most employees, she pays for a portion of her insurance and her employer, the government, pays the rest, she said.

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Abortion

New GOP Bill Would Allow Hospitals To Let Women Die Instead Of Having An Abortion

Evan McMorris-Santoro | February 4, 2011, 4:10PM

Rep. Joe Pitts (R-PA)

The controversy over "forcible rape" may be over, but now there's a new Republican-sponsored abortion bill in the House that pro-choice folks say may be worse: this time around, the new language would allow hospitals to let a pregnant woman die rather than perform the abortion that would save her life.

The bill, known currently as H.R. 358 or the "Protect Life Act," would amend the 2010 health care reform law that would modify the way Obamacare deals with abortion coverage. Much of its language is modeled on the so-called Stupak Amendment, an anti-abortion provision pro-life Democrats attempted to insert into the reform law during the health care debate last year. But critics say a new language inserted into the bill just this week would go far beyond Stupak, allowing hospitals that receive federal funds but are opposed to abortions to turn away women in need of emergency pregnancy termination to save their lives.

The sponsor of H.R. 358, Rep. Joe Pitts (R-PA) is a vocal member of the House's anti-abortion wing. A member of the bipartisan Pro-Life Caucus and a co-sponsor of H.R 3 -- the bill that added "forcible rape" to the lexicon this week -- Pitts is no stranger to the abortion debate. But pro-choice advocates say his new law goes farther than any other bill has in encroaching on the rights of women to obtain an abortion when their health is at stake. They say the bill is giant leap away from accepted law, and one they haven't heard many in the pro-life community openly discuss before.

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John Boehner

Boehner Denies C-SPAN's Request To Allow Its Cameras In The House

David Taintor | February 4, 2011, 3:36PM

House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH), who yesterday told the Radio-Television Correspondents Association he's willing to increase media access in the House, has denied C-SPAN's request to allow its cameras to cover House floor debates.

"I believe the American people -- and the dignity and decorum of the United States House of Representatives -- are best served by the current system of televised proceedings provided by the House Recording Studio," Boehner wrote to C-SPAN Chairman Brian Lamb.

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Government Shutdown

Dems To McConnell: What About All Those Republicans Talking About A Government Shutdown! (VIDEO)

Brian Beutler | February 4, 2011, 3:07PM

Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell says the only people talking about shutting down the government are a handful of Democrats.

So, Dems are asking, what about all those Republicans who've threatened a shutdown?

They're rounding up examples, and have put a few together in the below video.

Read more »

TPMTech

Georgia State Sen. Suggests iPads Could Replace Textbooks In Schools

Eric Lach | February 4, 2011, 1:32PM

Senate President pro tem of the Georgia State Senate Tommie Williams (R) told reporters this week that he and other state officials were considering a deal with Apple to swap textbook for iPads in George classrooms.

Read more »

Health Care

Virginia Agrees To Implement Key Provision In Health Care Law

Brian Beutler | February 4, 2011, 12:30PM

Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli, (third from left), Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell (center), Virginia Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling (third from right) and others observe a moment of silence

Virginia's Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli wants the Supreme Court to declare "Obamacare" unconstitutional. But in the meantime, the rest of the state's government is moving right along to get the law implemented.

By a vote of 95-3, the Virginia General Assembly agreed to develop health insurance exchanges states, which each state will be required to have by 2014 under the Affordable Care Act.

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Ginni Thomas

Virginia Thomas: Supreme Court Justice's Wife -- And 'Ambassador' To GOP Freshmen?

Eric Kleefeld | February 4, 2011, 11:54AM

Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas and Virginia Thomas

Virginia Thomas, the conservative activist and wife of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, has emerged in yet another role -- as a "self-appointed ambassador" to the GOP freshman class. However, nobody has yet confirmed her claims of these extensive ambassadorial duties.

When we last heard from Ginni Thomas this past October, she had left a voicemail with Anita Hill -- the woman who accused Clarence of Thomas of sexual harassment during his Supreme Court confirmation hearings way back in 1991 -- asking for an apology. (Ginni Thomas later said the call was "probably a mistake.") Now, as Politico reports, Ginni Thomas has gone to great lengths to promote her expertise and influence at her new firm, Liberty Consulting:

Thomas already has met with nearly half of the 99 GOP freshmen in the House and Senate, according to an e-mail she sent last week to congressional chiefs of staff, in which she branded herself "a self-appointed, ambassador to the freshmen class and an ambassador to the tea party movement."

An interesting thing, though -- Politico had a hard time finding a freshman who has actually met with Ginni Thomas. "This is the spouse of Justice Thomas?" said a seemingly surprised Rep. David Schweikert (R-AZ). "No, I've never met her. It's not something I've heard about. And I hang out with a lot of freshman," he said.

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Iraq

Top Dem Says GOP Spending Cuts Will Screw Up Iraq Strategy

Brian Beutler | February 4, 2011, 11:46AM

Sen. Carl Levin (D-MI)

A House GOP plan to carve State Department spending out of the sacrosanct pool of "security" appropriations, and lump it in with "non-security" appropriations could upend the Obama administration's strategy in Iraq, says the chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee.

"I'm not sure the House folks [considered] it runs flat into our strategy in Iraq," Sen. Carl Levin (D-MI) told me Thursday after an evening vote.

The House took its first step in executing the plan Thursday, when Budget Committee chairman Paul Ryan introduced spending limits that would leave the State Department with $9.7 billion -- or 17 percent -- less than Obama requested.

The timing couldn't be worse.

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John Boehner

Boehner Willing To Increase Media Access In The House

David Taintor | February 4, 2011, 11:09AM

House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH)

In a letter to the Radio-Television Correspondents Association, House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) said he is willing to expand media access in the House of Representatives.

"I agree that enhancing opportunities for media coverage can make the House more open and transparent to the American people," Boehner wrote.

Read more »

iPad

Apple Locks Down iPad App Market, Opens Up Legal Woes

Nicole Martinelli | February 4, 2011, 10:25AM

Apple is exerting more control over content purchased for and available on its popular iPad by enforcing rules that require magazine, newspaper and e-reader publishers to sell all content through iTunes.

As of March 31, apps that do not take payments through its iTunes store will be rejected. Although Apple has long required app publishers to sell subscriptions via Apple's "In App Purchase API," some publishers -- notably, The Wall Street Journal andThe Financial Times -- sold them outside Apple's digital store.

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Rand Paul

Rand Paul: Let's Stop Giving Israel All That Aid Money (VIDEO)

Evan McMorris-Santoro | February 4, 2011, 9:54AM

Kentucky Senate Candidate Rand Paul (R)

Put this in your box of things you don't hear everyday: A Republican senator, a tea partier no less, is calling for the United States to loosen its connections with Israel. Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) told ABC News this week that if it were up to him, the US would stop sending foreign aid to what most Republicans consider to be the nation's most important ally anywhere.

"I think they're an important ally, but I also think that their per capita income is greater than probably three-fourths of the rest of the world," Paul told ABC's Jonathan Karl. "Should we be giving free money or welfare to a wealthy nation? I don't think so."

Paul, best known as the man who promised to bring the tea party to Washington, didn't say he feels any differently toward Israel than his Republican (and most of his Democratic) colleagues. He just feels that as long as the nation is in the deep debt hole its in, it's time to turn of the cash spigot to the country that 2012 GOP contenders are flocking to in advance of primary season.

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iPad

Interior Department Agencies Test iPads Despite Security Concerns

Ruth Schneider | February 4, 2011, 9:11AM

At least two Interior Department offices are testing out iPads in an effort to increase productivity, and a third office is looking to acquire the coveted tablets. But iPads have proven vulnerabilities -- only two weeks ago, a duo was arrested for hacking into AT&T records and exposing 120,000 iPad accounts, including top government officials.

The department is still interested. "They're being used as replacements for laptops and blackberries," said Drew Malcomb, the Interior Department's chief of public affairs. "We see them as filling that need. They have a larger screen, the attachments are onboard and they have most of the capabilities of a laptop."

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Health Care

Mississippi Judge Tosses Health Care Reform Challenge -- But Doesn't Address The Key Question

Brian Beutler | February 4, 2011, 9:10AM

The Obama Administration is quietly trumpeting the fact that a federal judge in Mississippi tossed out a lawsuit Thursday challenging the constitutionality of the health care reform law.

By definition, it's good news for the White House. But the judge in question didn't rule on the legal question that is at the heart of the constitutional challenges to the new law.

It was a strange suit, filed by the lieutenant governor of Mississippi, Phil Bryant, acting in his capacity as a civilian, along with several other individuals. And unlike the other challenges to the law, including the one by many state attorneys general, which allege that the law's individual mandate exceeds Congress' Commerce Clause powers, this lawsuit was brought on 10th Amendment grounds.

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2012 Presidential Primaries

PPP Poll: Huckabee, Palin, Gingrich Lead Muddled 2012 GOP Field In Nebraska

Jon Terbush | February 4, 2011, 8:47AM

Former Gov. Mike Huckabee (R-AR), former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin (R-AK) and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich.

Yet another poll finds Mike Huckabee leading the pack in a Republican presidential primary -- this time in Nebraska. However, two challengers -- Sarah Palin and Newt Gingrich -- each polled close enough to Huckabee to leave them all essentially locked in a dead heat.

Twenty-one percent of respondents in the PPP poll said Huckabee was their first choice for the party nod, while 19% went for Palin, and 18% said they supported Gingrich. The poll has a 4.3% margin of error, meaning that Huckabee's slim lead is statistically insignificant.

Mitt Romney wasn't too far behind the pack, garnering 15% of the vote, followed by Rep. Ron Paul (8%), Tim Pawlenty (4%), Sen. John Thune (3%), and Gov. Mitch Daniels (1%.)

Read more »

2012 Presidential Primaries

Rick Santorum: I Would Eliminate The 'Rogue' 9th Circuit Court Of Appeals

Jillian Rayfield | February 3, 2011, 6:26PM

Fmr. Sen. Rick Santorum (R-PA)

Rick Santorum stopped by at a Myrtle Beach Tea Party event yesterday in South Carolina, and assured the group that he "would sign a bill tomorrow to eliminate the 9th Circuit [Court of Appeals]. That court is rogue. It's a pox on the western part of our country."

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2012 Presidential Primaries

2012 Poll: Sorry, Jon Hunstman -- Utah Is Romney Country

Evan McMorris-Santoro | February 3, 2011, 5:16PM

Jon Huntsman and former Gov. Mitt Romney (R-MA)

If soon-to-be former China Ambassador Jon Huntsman were to jump into the 2012 presidential race (as many expect he will), Mormon Republicans would more than likely find themselves with two candidates from their faith on the ballot: Huntsman, the former governor of Utah, and Mitt Romney, the former governor of Massachusetts.

In Mormon-heavy Utah, one early poll shows that Romney has the edge. Though Huntsman held the state's highest elective office from 2005 until 2009, when President Obama tapped him to be Ambassador to China, the new poll shows voters there prefer Romney as their presidential nominee by 20 points.

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Net Neutrality

Court Rejects Verizon's Net Neutrality Judge Shopping, But Lawsuit Continues

Stephanie Marcus | February 3, 2011, 4:52PM

Verizon's alleged "legal games" are pretty transparent -- and the D.C. Court of Appeals doesn't seem to be too amused. On Wednesday, the court rejected Verizon's request for the same panel of judges that ruled against the FCC in favor of Comcast to hear their own appeal against the Commission's new net neutrality rules. With Verizon's attempt to hand-pick its judges foiled, lawyers agree that their base strategy of ensuring their case will be heard by the D.C. Court of Appeals is still their best bet.

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CIA/DNI/Intelligence

CIA Official: Obama Was Briefed On Egypt Instability Late Last Year

Susan Crabtree | February 3, 2011, 4:50PM

Associate Deputy Director of the CIA Stephanie O'Sullivan

The U.S. intelligence community warned President Obama about instability in Egypt late last year, according to a CIA official.

Stephanie O'Sullivan, the President's nominee for principal deputy director of national intelligence who currently serves as associate deputy director of the CIA, told the Senate intelligence committee Thursday that the agency briefed Obama. She did not indicate how specific the information they provided was.

"We warned of instability but not exactly where it would come from [and in what form]," she said. "That happened at the end of last year."

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Arizona

PPP Poll: Arizona Favors Gun Control

Eric Kleefeld | February 3, 2011, 4:50PM

Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-AZ)

A new survey of Arizona from Public Policy Polling (D) finds an interesting result: This red state wants more gun control -- indeed, they favor it more than national surveys have shown since the shooting of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D) in the Tucson area.

The poll asked: "In general do you think Arizona should have stricter laws concerning who can buy guns or not?" The answer was Yes 55%, No 38%.

As PPP's Tom Jensen points out: "That's a higher degree of support for increased gun control in the wake of last month's shootings in Tucson than national polls are showing. A recent CBS poll showed just 46% of voters across the country in support of tougher laws on guns and ABC and NBC both put the number at 52%."

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Government Shutdown

McConnell: The Only Ones Talking About A Gov Shutdown Are Dems

Brian Beutler | February 3, 2011, 3:07PM

Mitch McConnell (R-KY)

In a statement issued today, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell says Democrats are the only one talking shutdown.

"The only people talking about shutting down the government are a handful of Senate Democrats at a press conference today," he says.

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Pres '12

Iowa Gov: I'm Not Supporting Pawlenty (Or Anyone Else)

Eric Kleefeld | February 3, 2011, 2:57PM

Gov. Terry Branstad (R-IA) and former Gov. Tim Pawlenty (R-MN)

Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad's office is putting the kibosh on a report that he was supporting former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty in the state's key early presidential caucus -- saying that he is remaining totally neutral instead.

In a column today, David Broder mentioned as a side point:

An exceptionally skilled politician, Branstad is generally counted in the Pawlenty camp. His support is the main reason Pawlenty is given a chance in the leadoff caucuses - even against Huckabee, the surprise 2008 winner in Iowa; Romney, who has invested heavily in organizing the state; and perhaps others, including Newt Gingrich, the former speaker of the House.

Branstad's people moved quickly to refute the story, with a pair of tweets on his account.

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iPhone

IRS Launches iPhone App That Does Almost Nothing

Neal Ungerleider | February 3, 2011, 2:42PM

The Internal Revenue Service took a bold step for a government agency and released a smartphone application. Titled IRS2Go, the app lets users check their tax return status. But IRS2Go's relatively limited functionality signals a future challenge for federal agencies releasing iPhone/Android applications: how do you give people the functionality they want while still complying with a variety of outdated rules that govern agencies' interactions with the public.

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Abortion

Democratic Reps. Unimpressed With New House Abortion Bill

Evan McMorris-Santoro | February 3, 2011, 2:30PM

Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-NY)

Pro-choice activists and politicians may have scored a victory with the news that the House abortion bill won't contain a redefinition of rape, but that hasn't made several prominent House Democrats any happier about the No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act.

"Look, my reaction is this is not really changing things that much," Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL) told TPM in an interview today. "This exposed them for what their true intentions are. Now that they're exposed they're trying to put the genie back in the bottle, and it's not going to work."

Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-NY) wasn't interested in giving the sponsors of H.R.3 much credit for altering their bill under pressure from pro-choice groups.

"It's still a totally flawed bill," Maloney told TPM. "I would call it the deepest attack on a woman's right to choose in my lifetime."

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Spending

Democrats Say House-Proposed Spending Limits "Unworkable"

Brian Beutler | February 3, 2011, 2:00PM

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

On Thursday, House Budget Chairman Paul Ryan (R-WI) introduced new limits on spending to fund the government through the end of September. The proposal itself falls a bit short of the GOP pledge to slash spending by $100 billion, on a prorated basis, this fiscal year. But already Senate Democrats are warning Republicans that they'd better willing to negotiate toward the center, or they'll risk a government shutdown.

Indeed, top Democrats addressed reporters about the GOP proposal Thursday afternoon. They criticized the GOP's approach, and its leadership, for not taking a government shutdown off the table. They even brought Sen. John McCain's (R-AZ) old economic adviser -- and Moody's chief economist -- Mark Zandi to the podium to buttress their case: a government shutdown would harm the economy, spending should not be cut dramatically right now, and the standoff should be resolved quickly.

"The chairman of the [House] Budget Committee today -- today -- sent us something more draconian than we originally anticipated," Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) said. He called Ryan's plan "unworkable."

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John McCain

McCain Fears Sadr's Influence In Iraq Ahead of U.S. Withdrawal

Susan Crabtree | February 3, 2011, 1:18PM

Sen. John McCain (R-AZ)

Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) is expressing concern about the movements of radical Iraqi Shia cleric Moqtada Sadr in and out of Iran and Iraq ahead of the withdrawal of U.S. forces from Iraq later this year.

"I'm very concerned about Sadr's activity -- and his followers...I'll be pretty blunt," McCain said Thursday at a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing.

Read more »

2012 elections

PPP Poll: Obama Could Make SC Close Contest In 2012 -- Or Win It Against Palin

Jon Terbush | February 3, 2011, 1:00PM

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

In 2008, John McCain took perennial red state South Carolina by a nine point margin over Barack Obama in the presidential election. Looking forward to 2012 though, Obama seems poised to make that race a little tighter -- or to win it outright if Republicans nominate a particularly polarizing candidate like Sarah Palin, according to a new PPP poll.

In the poll, Obama trailed Mike Huckabee by a six point margin, 49% to 43%. He also lagged seven pints behind Mitt Romney, 49% to 42%. While neither result is really close enough to make the race a toss up, they do show the contest being slightly more competitive next year.

However, if the GOP nominates Palin or Gingrich -- or even tea partying native son Sen. Jim DeMint -- the race is a wholly different story.

Read more »

CPAC

Sarah Palin Turns Down Keynote Spot At CPAC

Jillian Rayfield | February 3, 2011, 12:19PM

Former VP candidate Sarah Palin (R)

In another blow to boycott-ridden Conservative Political Action Conference, Sarah Palin has turned down the coveted-keynote speaker spot, making this the fourth time in a row Palin's skipped out on the conference.

Palin's political action committee SarahPAC is sponsoring the "Presidential Diamond Reception" on February 10 at CPAC, Ben Smith of Politico reports, so her absence is seemingly not part of the boycott.

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Health Care

Republicans See Opportunity To Capture Health Law If SCOTUS Strikes Mandate

Brian Beutler | February 3, 2011, 12:17PM

Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-UT)

An interesting dynamic is taking shape in Congress as health care lawsuits challenging the constitutionality of the individual mandate wind their way up to the Supreme Court.

One potential outcome -- and the one that Republicans are hoping for -- is that the Supreme Court will invalidate the mandate and sever it from the law, leaving an unstable health care policy in place.

Theoretically, Congress could just change that mandate in a way that would easily pass constitutional muster -- simple tweaks that could pass in a matter of days and leave the implementation process largely unmolested.

But for that to happen, Republicans would have to play ball -- and that would mean giving up new-found leverage to really undercut the law. Don't fool yourself into thinking they'd give up that power willingly.

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Nullification

Iowa GOPers Pass Nullification Of Health Care Mandate In State House

Eric Kleefeld | February 3, 2011, 12:00PM

State flag of Iowa

The politics of nullification are now coming to the key early presidential caucus state of Iowa, where the Republican state House has just passed a bill outlawing the individual health insurance mandate in the federal health care reform law.

The Des Moines Register reports:

But it is not clear whether the states have the legal authority to exempt their residents from the requirements of the federal law.

Rep. Lance Horbach, R-Tama, said, however: "This bill deals with the federal government impeding upon states' rights and individuals' rights. We have the ability, the sovereign ability in the state of Iowa and as legislators representing the people, to make that decision. The federal government does not."

The bill is not guaranteed to pass, though: It now heads to the state Senate, where Democrats hold a narrow majority.

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Health Care

Obama Administration Opposes Expedited SCOTUS Ruling On Health Law

Brian Beutler | February 3, 2011, 11:22AM

The Obama Administration wants to bide its time on its legal defense of health care reform. In a statement to reporters Thursday morning, spokeswoman Tracy Schmaler says the Department of Justice is opposed to calls -- by Republicans and some Democrats -- for an expedited Supreme Court ruling on the constitutionality of the health care law's individual mandate.

"The Department continues to believe this case should follow the ordinary course of allowing the court of appeals to hear it first so the issues and arguments concerning the Affordable Care Act can be fully developed before the Supreme Court decides whether to consider it," she says.

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Health Care

Yet Another Dem Alternative To The Health Law Mandate Emerges

Brian Beutler | February 3, 2011, 10:12AM

Rep. Peter DeFazio (D-OR)

Here's another change Dems are considering to the individual mandate in the health care law in the wake of Tuesday's federal court decision.

Rep. Peter Defazio (D-OR) proposes that people be allowed to opt out of the insurance mandate altogether -- but if they do, they will not be allowed to free-ride on the new health care system.

Under his plan, a person opting out "must file an 'affidavit of personal responsibility' with the state exchange. Such a filing will waive their rights to: 1) Enroll in a health insurance exchange; 2) Enroll in Medicaid if otherwise made eligible; and 3) Discharge health care related debt under Chapter 7 bankruptcy law," DeFazio wrote in a letter to colleagues Tuesday.

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Pres '12

Bachmann Headed To South Carolina

Eric Kleefeld | February 3, 2011, 9:48AM

Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN)

Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN), the national Tea Party star who has been traveling to Iowa and eyeing a possible run for president, is now making her way to another key early state: South Carolina.

Bachmann will visit the state on February 19, speaking in Columbia at a lunch meeting of the South Carolina Federation of Republican Women, and in Spartanburg at a reception and dinner by the Spartanburg County GOP.

Read more »

Abortion

Report: Republicans Give Up On Redefining Rape

Evan McMorris-Santoro | February 3, 2011, 9:20AM

Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ)

After pressure from women's groups, Democratic politicians and Jon Stewart, the authors of the controversial abortion bill in the House will drop language that appeared to exempt some rape victims from seeking federal help to pay for an abortion.

Politico reports this morning that Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ), the lead sponsor of the bill and chair of the House pro-life caucus, will remove the phrase "forcible rape" from the bill and replace it with the same wording used in the Hyde Amendment. That Amendment bans federal abortion coverage already, and proponents of the House law say their goal was to make Hyde -- which has to be renewed every year -- a permanent fixture of federal law.

"The word forcible will be replaced with the original language from the Hyde Amendment," Jeff Sagnip, a spokesperson for Smith, told Politico. Smith's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment from TPM.

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Ben Nelson

Nelson Rejects Backdoor GOP Plan To Kill Health Law

Brian Beutler | February 3, 2011, 9:10AM

Sen. Ben Nelson (D-NE).

Democrats are holding together to close backdoor efforts to kill the health care law better than the GOP would like.

They would prefer that vulnerable Democrats to join them in support of a new measure that would allow states to opt out of key provisions of the law -- a plan designed to weaken and kill it.

But at least one of those Democrats isn't biting.

Sen. Ben Nelson (D-NE) says he likes pieces of that measure -- in particular allowing states to opt out of the law's call for a Medicaid expansion. But he can't support it overall.

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CA-SEN

Poll: Feinstein Crushes GOPers In 2012 CA Senate Race

Jon Terbush | February 3, 2011, 8:39AM

Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA)

Last year, Republican Carly Fiorina put a scare into the Democratic Party by making her race against incumbent Sen. Barbara Boxer (D) seem close, if only for a few months. Yet Republicans may have less cause for excitement when they challenge Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D) in 2012, as a new PPP poll shows Feinstein dominating a slate of prominent GOP challengers by anywhere from 14 to 34 points.

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Mitt Romney

Romney Not Signing On For First 2012 Debate, Yet

Evan McMorris-Santoro | February 2, 2011, 7:08PM

Former 2008 Presidential candidate Mitt Romney (R) campaigning in New Hampshire.

NBC News and Politico hope to kick off the 2012 presidential race with one of the earliest televised debates in recent memory, scheduled for May 2 at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in California. But it sounds like the show might have to go on without one of the top contenders for the nomination.

In an interview with conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt this afternoon, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney said he hasn't accepted the invitation to appear at the debate yet, and criticized the timing of the event which comes more than 6 months before the first Iowa voters head out to caucus.

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Health Care

Effort To Repeal Health Care Law Fails In Senate

Brian Beutler | February 2, 2011, 6:26PM

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell

An effort spearheaded by Republicans to repeal the new health care law collapsed Wednesday evening after the Senate refused to ignore its adverse impact on the deficit.

By a vote of 47-51, the Senate sustained an objection to the legislation on the grounds that it does not comply with congressional budget rules. Because a full repeal of the law is projected to increase the deficit, waiving that point of order would have required 60 votes.

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Health Care

Louisiana AG Switches Parties To GOP, After Suing Against Health Care Reform

Eric Kleefeld | February 2, 2011, 6:25PM

Louisiana Attorney General James D. "Buddy" Caldwell

Louisiana Attorney General Buddy Caldwell is now no longer the only Democratic state attorney general in the country to have joined the lawsuit against health care reform -- he has now officially switched parties to the Republicans.

Caldwell was first elected as a Democrat in 2007, after serving as a district attorney, defeating unpopular Democratic incumbent Charles Foti and Republican candidate Royal Alexander. Now, as Louisiana has another state-level election year, he announced today that he is switching to the Republicans.

Caldwell's move now leaves Sen. Mary Landrieu as the only statewide elected Democrat, in a state where Republicans have made significant gains over the past decade.

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MT-SEN

Tester Attacks GOP Opponent For Bachmann Connection

Eric Kleefeld | February 2, 2011, 4:34PM

Sen Jon Tester (D-MT) & Rep. Michelle Bachmann (R-MN)

Sen. Jon Tester (D-MT) is already taking the gloves off against his soon-to-be Republican opponent, Rep. Denny Rehberg, pointing out that Rehberg will reportedly be launching his campaign at a state GOP dinner this weekend featuring...Minnesota Congresswoman Michele Bachmann!

In an appearance on ABC's Top Line Web program, Tester tied Rehberg to Bachmann's recent budget proposal, which calls for freezes and cuts in veterans' benefits.

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Health Care

Democrats Explore Alternatives To Health Insurance Mandate

Brian Beutler | February 2, 2011, 2:19PM

Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-MO)

Most Democrats believe, or say they believe, that the courts will uphold the individual insurance mandate as constitutional -- and slice off one prong of the GOP attack on the health care law.

But they're also exploring their options.

One plan is modeled on an existing incentive built into the Medicare prescription drug benefit: Create an open-enrollment period for people who want to buy health insurance, and assess a penalty on anybody who tries to enter the insurance market after that window closes.

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Abortion

Law Professor: Right-To-Lifer All Wrong On House Abortion Bill

Evan McMorris-Santoro | February 2, 2011, 1:50PM

The anti-abortion community is defending the controversial abortion funding law in the House from critics by saying that the new language on rape and incest exceptions represent a change in law but not a change in policy. It's a strong argument -- supporters of the bill say the goal is to make permanent the already existing ban on abortion funding in the federal code.

There's just one problem, according to law professors who spoke with TPM: the argument is entirely false. The House ban's exceptions for "forcible rape" and incest only under the age of 18 would be a policy shift, they said. A big shift.

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Health Care

Reagan Solicitor General Says Health Care Is Constitutional (VIDEO)

Ryan J. Reilly | February 2, 2011, 1:30PM

Charles Fried

Testifying before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday, Ronald Reagan's Solicitor General Charles Fried said that even though he believes that there are lots of problems with the Affordable Care Act, he's "quite sure that the health care mandate is constitutional."

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Health Care

Anti-HCR 'Gun Mandate' Stunt Meets...George Washington

Eric Kleefeld | February 2, 2011, 1:30PM

A man with 18th century clothing and musket, and state Rep. Hal Wick (R-SD)

As you may have seen, some Republican state legislators in South Dakota have proposed a sort of protest bill against health care reform -- to require that nearly every adult in the state purchase a gun. But in their effort to make a statement about constitutionality, they might have just misfired.

"If the federal government can order every one of us to buy health insurance because we need medical care, it makes just as much sense for us to require everyone to have a weapon to provide for their protection," the lead sponsor, state Rep. Hal Wick (R), told the Rapid City Journal.

At the same time, he added that he doesn't really mean to pass this bill or get other people to vote for it: "I feel this would be overstepping the bounds of their personal rights."

So I decided to ask Wick his opinion of a previous individual gun mandate, which was passed by...George Washington!

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Mark Kirk

Kirk Cites Al Gore's Personal Life As Impetus For Climate Flip-Flop

Brian Beutler | February 2, 2011, 12:04PM

Sen. Mark Kirk (R-IL)

Back when he was a member of the House, Sen. Mark Kirk (R-IL) was one of a few Republicans who voted for a far-reaching climate change bill. That legislation quickly fueled Tea Party rage, and conservatives went on the attack against the plan's backers. So Kirk did an about face on the issue, and now blames... Al Gore's personal life for the whole sorry episode.

"The consensus behind the climate change bill collapsed and then further deteriorated with the personal and political collapse of Vice President [Al] Gore," Kirk told Greenwire.

Read more »

2012 elections

Haley Barbour Heading To Israel This Weekend

Jillian Rayfield | February 2, 2011, 11:54AM

Gov. Haley Barbour (R-MS)

Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour will head to Israel this Saturday, making him the third potential GOP presidential candidate to visit the country in recent weeks.

Read more »

Debt Ceiling

Toomey Pushes 'Pay China First' Plan

Brian Beutler | February 2, 2011, 11:17AM

Sen. Pat Toomey (R-PA)

Sen. Pat Toomey (R-PA) is trying to attach a controversial debt-limit provision to an unrelated aviation bill, now on the Senate floor.

As described here, the measure would manage the fallout of a default on the national debt by prioritizing Treasury payments to investors -- foreign countries, financial institutions -- over other obligations like Social Security beneficiaries and veterans benefits, among others.

Read more »

Michael Steele

Michael Steele Faces Off Against The Daily Show's Puppet Michael Steele (VIDEO)

Eric Kleefeld | February 2, 2011, 10:38AM

Former Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele appeared on the Daily Show last night -- both of him!

"Wait a minute," Jon Stewart said at the start of the interview. "You're not Michael Steele."

"What?" Steele responded.

"We've had Michael Steele on the show, like, five times," said Stewart. "I don't -- you look -- you're not him."

"Jon, Jon, I can assure you -- I'm Michael Steele."

"I have to tell you," Stewart began -- only to be interrupted by the blue Sesame Street puppet that the Daily Show used during Steele's tenure at the RNC, voiced by a rhyming, jive-talking Wyatt Cenac.

"Yeah sorry I'm late, Watergate," said Puppet Michael Steele. "Who's this extremely handsome gentleman?"

Read more »

Rick Santorum

Santorum Outraised Huckabee, Pawlenty At The End Of Last Year

Jillian Rayfield | February 2, 2011, 10:38AM

Fmr. Sen. Rick Santorum (R-PA)

The most recent FEC filings from the potential 2012 presidential field show Rick Santorum finishing strong at the end of last year, outraising all the other potential candidates except Sarah Palin and Mitt Romney.

Read more »

Health Care

Republicans Hide Health Care Law Benefits From Their Constituents

Brian Beutler | February 2, 2011, 10:22AM

House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY)

Two days after a Republican Florida federal court judge voided the entire health care law, the multi-front Republican war against it continues in the Senate, where members will vote today on whether or not to just repeal it, full stop.

Simultaneously, Republican members are trying to sneak grenades into the heart of the law, crafting modifications which they admit are meant to destroy it.

But that presents them with a conundrum when they head back to their states and districts and face constituents who stand to benefit from the law right now -- seniors who are entitled to free checkups, and young adults, who can now stay on their parents' insurance until they turn 26, for example. Republicans can chose to help those constituents navigate the law -- answer their questions constructively, encourage them to seek those benefits -- or they can let their political agendas interfere.

Different strokes for different folks.

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2012 Presidential Primaries

Gingrich: Jon Huntsman Is Running, And He's Gonna Be The Real Deal

Evan McMorris-Santoro | February 2, 2011, 10:20AM

Jon Huntsman

Newt Gingrich was coy about his own presidential intentions at a debate with Howard Dean on the campus of George Washington University last night. But he was quick to weigh in on the intentions of a potential rival in the fields of Iowa and hills of New Hampshire. Ambassador Jon Huntsman is "probably" running for president, Gingrich told TPM after the debate. And he's going to be a "very formidable" opponent to anyone who's trying to take on Obama next year.

"He'd certainly be a great addition for the Republican Party," Gingrich said. "He's very intelligent."

But the former House Speaker declined to weigh in on whether or not Hunstman's moderate past as governor of Utah and position in the Obama administration would cost him with a Republican primary electorate.

"He's a very smart man, we'll have to wait and see," Gingrich said. "That's what campaigns are for."

Read more »

Pres '12

Romney Reads 'Mittiest' Top 10 List On Letterman (VIDEO)

Eric Kleefeld | February 2, 2011, 9:36AM

Mitt Romney

Former Gov. Mitt Romney (R-MA), the past 2008 and potential future 2012 presidential candidate, waded into pop culture last night with an appearance on The Late Show With David Letterman -- reading a Top 10 list, "Things You Don't Know About Mitt Romney."

The list, as follows:

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Howard Dean

Newt Gingrich: We Are Losing The War On Terror

Evan McMorris-Santoro | February 2, 2011, 9:20AM

Former DNC Chairman Howard Dean and Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, a potential challenger to President Obama in 2012, took some decidedly outside-the-GOP-mainstream positions during a often scrappy debate with former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean Tuesday night. The architect of the 1994 Contract With America voiced his support for a pathway to legal status for some illegal immigrants, praised the way things are done in a Western European democracy -- and said that, after 10 long years, the United States is losing the War on Terror.

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Earmarks

Senate Approprations Committee Gives Into Obama On Earmarks

Evan McMorris-Santoro | February 2, 2011, 8:55AM

Sen. Dan Inouye (D-HI)

Senate Appropriations chair Daniel Inouye (D-HI) says that the days of earmarking in spending bills are over, thanks to the Republican ban on the practice in the House and President Obama's unwillingness to support earmarks in the future.

In what could amount to be a big political victory for the White House, Inouye told his colleagues in the Senate Tuesday not to bother sending him their requests for earmarks. A notorious earmarker himself, Inouye said that there just wasn't any point in trying to continue earmarking after Obama so vehemently turned on the practice in his State of the Union address earlier this month.

Read more »

2012 elections

Poll: Palin Nomination Could Turn SD, NE Dem For First Time Since 1964

Jon Terbush | February 2, 2011, 8:44AM

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

The last time a Democratic presidential candidate carried either South Dakota or Nebraska in a general election was the same year that the Beatles released their debut U.S. album. Yet if the Republican Party nominates Sarah Palin for president, two PPP polls indicate that President Obama would have a strong chance of bringing both states into the Democratic column for the first time in a half century.

In Nebraska, PPP found Palin leading Obama by just one point, 45% to 44%. Compare that to last cycle, when John McCain won the state by 15 points -- though, since Nebraska awards some electors to the winner of each congressional district, Obama did take one electoral vote for winning Omaha's district. In 2004, George Bush trounced John Kerry by 33 points there.

In South Dakota, the bad omen for a Palin presidential bid is even starker. There, PPP found her outright trailing Obama by eight points, 48% to 40%.

Read more »

Abortion

Wasserman Schultz: House Abortion Bill 'Violent Act Against Women'

Evan McMorris-Santoro | February 1, 2011, 4:50PM

Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL)

Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL) is not happy with the controversial new abortion bill her Republican colleagues are hoping to push through the House. In an interview with Raw Story, Wasserman Schultz -- not known for biting her tongue -- called the new bill "absolutely outrageous."

"I consider the proposal of this bill a violent act against women," she told the website.

Read more »

Rachel Maddow

Rachel Maddow Falls For Satirical Web Site (VIDEO)

Eric Kleefeld | February 1, 2011, 4:34PM

Rachel Maddow

Rachel Maddow's show on MSNBC often specializes in the application of obscure knowledge toward current political issues. But there's one piece of info they missed out on: That an online post they picked up and amplified on the air was from a parody site.

As The Atlantic reports, Maddow last night reported on a post on the apparently right-wing site ChristWire.org calling upon Sarah Palin to support a U.S.-led invasion of Egypt in response to that country's political crisis. "An American-led invasion of North Africa," Maddow said in disbelief. "To be clear, this is what these folks are asking Sarah Palin to do. This is not Ms. Palin's own idea."

The only problem: ChristWire is a satirical site!

Read more »

Health Care

Reid: Health Care Repeal Vote Imminent

Brian Beutler | February 1, 2011, 3:22PM

Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL)

The Senate could vote on health care repeal as early as today.

On Tuesday Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell introduced a repeal measure as an amendment to a pending FAA bill, and Democratic leaders have decided to allow it to go forward. However, they won't, at this time, force Republicans to vote to repeal key, popular parts of the legislation.

"We want to get this out of their system quickly," said Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid at a press conference with his top deputies Tuesday afternoon, who said the vote could come up "sometime today," depending on how long the floor debate drags on. Aides suggest the vote's more likely to come Wednesday.

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Lindsey Graham

GOP Sens Admit: Goal Of Changing Health Care Law Is To Kill It

Brian Beutler | February 1, 2011, 3:14PM

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC)

We've reached a point in the health care fight where Republicans aren't even pretending that their efforts to tweak the bill aren't also intended to destroy it.

Case in point: A new GOP plan to allow states to opt out of the key provisions of the law is intended to undermine it and cause it to fail, its supporters admit.

"If you took half the states out of the individual mandate requirement, this bill falls, requiring us to draft something new, and quite frankly that is the goal," said Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) at a press conference Tuesday afternoon. "To find a way to get the Congress to redo this bill.... We want this bill to come to an end."

Points for honesty.

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Bob Bauer

White House Counsel Calls For Senate To End Judicial 'Cold War'

Ryan J. Reilly | February 1, 2011, 2:50PM

Robert Bauer

The Obama administration will try to forge a new path forward to get their judicial nominees through the Senate confirmation process, White House Counsel Bob Bauer said Tuesday. That plan would supposedly solve what Bauer termed a long-running "cold war" between Democrats and Republicans on judicial nominees.

Read more »

Abortion

Anti-Abortion Leader: Statuatory Rape Would Not Count In New Abortion Law

Evan McMorris-Santoro | February 1, 2011, 2:30PM

Douglas Johnson

Anti-abortion advocates are finally starting to open up about the controversial abortion law that's working its way through the House. To critics that noted the law's "forcible rape" language would deny abortion coverage to statutory rape victims they say this: you're right, it wouldn't.

But anti-abortion advocates claim that the change in the language of federal law would not actually constitute a chance in policy.

In an interview with the anti-abortion site LifeNews, Douglas Johnson, the legislative director for the National Right to Life Committee, admits the language in the House's No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act "would not allow general federal funding of abortion on all under-age pregnant girls."

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Fox News

Fox News Editor Pushed Emphasis On Obama 'Socialism' Ahead Of 2008 Election

Brian Beutler | February 1, 2011, 2:20PM

In late 2008, one of Fox News' top editors escalated his efforts to have the network portray then-Senator Barack Obama as a socialist and an anti-white racist during the waning days of the presidential election.

On October 27, 2008, then news-editor Bill Sammon emailed colleagues with references in Obama's first book Dreams From My Father to socialism, Marxism and Obama's past relationship with a white woman.

That email, obtained by Media Matters, was subject-lined "fyi: Obama's references to socialism, liberalism, Marxism and Marxists in his autobiography, 'Dreams from My Father.' Plus a couple of his many self-described 'racial obsessions'..."

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MN-SEN

Norm Coleman: I Won't Run For Senate Against Klobuchar In 2012 (VIDEO)

Eric Kleefeld | February 1, 2011, 1:34PM

Former Sen. Norm Coleman (R-MN), American Action CEO

Former Sen. Norm Coleman (R-MN), who very narrowly lost the hotly-disputed 2008 Minnesota Senate race, has announced that he will not challenge the state's other senator, Democrat Amy Klobuchar, in 2012.

"I'm not going to run against Amy Klobuchar," said on ABC's Top Line Web show. "I've said in other forums that I haven't ruled out public service -- my heart's in public service. At some point, but not in 2012. I love what I do now, and that is developing center-right policy."

Coleman currently heads up his own conservative group, the American Action Network, which according its website "is a 501(c)(4) 'action tank' that will create, encourage and promote center-right policies based on the principles of freedom, limited government, American exceptionalism, and strong national security."

A survey in December by Public Policy Polling (D) gave Klobuchar an approval rating of 59%, with disapproval at only 29%. The same poll also showed her leading all hypothetical Republican opponents, including a 54%-40% advantage over Coleman.

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2012 Presidential Primaries

PPP Poll: Huckabee In Front For 2012 SC Primary--Unless DeMint Jumps In

Jon Terbush | February 1, 2011, 1:31PM

Former Gov of Arkansas Mike Huckabee and Sen Jim DeMint (R-SC)

If Mike Huckabee decides to seek the Republican Party's presidential nomination, a new PPP poll shows that he'd be poised to claim the key primary state of South Carolina--that is, unless the state's conservative Senator Jim DeMint enters the race as well.

When PPP polled the state with a slate of potential candidates that didn't include DeMint, Huckabee came out on top with 26% of the vote, followed by Mitt Romney at 20%, Sarah Palin at 18%, and Newt Gingrich at 13%.Yet when DeMint was added to the mix, Huckabee's support fell to 20%, dropping him to second place behind DeMint, who garnered 24% of the vote.

Adding DeMint did not shake up the order of the other candidates, with each moving one slot down to accommodate the new front runner. In that scenario, Romney's support dipped to 17%, with Palin (12%) and Gingrich (10%) losing some supporters to DeMint as well.

Read more »

RNC

Priebus: RNC's True Finances Even Worse Than Our FEC Report Says

Eric Kleefeld | February 1, 2011, 1:06PM

RNC Chairman Reince Priebus

Newly-elected Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus is putting all the bad news right out there. With the RNC releasing a year-end federal report showing over $21 million in debt, he simultaneously put out a statement saying that fully-adjusted numbers would ultimately show that it's even worse -- that is, he has an even bigger hole to dig out of.

"While the year-end FEC report reveals the Republican National Committee is $21 million in debt, I believe it is best to get out all the facts as we know them associated with our financial position," Priebus said in a statement. "To date, the committee has approximately $23 million in debt: $15 million in loans, and $8 million owed to vendors."

Priebus also implicitly put the blame on his predecessor as chairman, Michael Steele, who he defeated this past January. In the statement, Priebus says that prior fundraising operations were very inefficient:

"The RNC transition team is committed to improving the committee's financial situation in two areas: lowering costs of raising small donations and restoring the trust of major donors in the Republican Party. The RNC did raise nearly $105 million in 2010 mainly through low-dollar solicitations online and in the mail, but the costs to raise it were simply too high at approximately 64 cents for every dollar raised. Even more troubling, our major donor programs are at 10-year lows.

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Dennis Kucinich

Kucinich: My Health Care Proposals Include Dental (VIDEO)

Eric Kleefeld | February 1, 2011, 12:42PM

Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-OH) is still being asked about his lawsuit, settled last week, over an olive pit in a Capitol Hill cafeteria sandwich that destroyed one of his teeth.

In an appearance Monday night on Lawrence O'Donnell's MSNBC show, Kucinich elaborated (again) on the extent of his mouth injuries, also explaining that his public appearances post-injury were done without knowledge of the extent of the damage until an infection set in, and that multiple dental implants were done with varying success.

"This was a very difficult series of dental and medical events that I had to deal with," said Kucinich. "I didn't ask for it. It just happened. But I'm glad it's over. And it really is resolved. And it was resolved amicably, which is the way that I like to resolve disputes."

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Egypt

John Bolton: 'I Think ElBaradei Is A Dilettante'

Megan Carpentier | February 1, 2011, 12:19PM

John Bolton

John Bolton, who served at the ambassador to the United Nations under George W. Bush, visited On the Record With Greta Van Susteren to talk about about the ongoing protests in Egypt.

The wisdom that he brought to the discussion? That opposition leader Mohamed ElBaradei, the Nobel Peace Prize laureate who headed the International Atomic Energy Agency for 12 years, is "a dilettante."

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Pres '12

Pawlenty: Obama 'Chicken' On Social Security

Eric Kleefeld | February 1, 2011, 11:38AM

Gov. Tim Pawlenty (R-MN) and President Barack Obama

Former Gov. Tim Pawlenty (R-MN), a potential presidential candidate who is trying to elevate his profile (such as his recent action movie trailer-style Web video) is also stepping up his tough-guy rhetoric -- calling President Obama "chicken" on entitlement spending.

In an appearance Monday on Fox & Friends, Pawlenty criticized Obama's State of the Union address for not proposing clear solutions for Social Security's fiscal situation, such as Pawlenty's ideas of means-testing cost-of-living adjustments and raising the retirement age for future entrants. (As we've posted before, means-testing would be somewhat left-wing, as it would have the effect of redistributing wealth.)

"Most American people understand we got a problem. Those are reasonable solutions. You could rally people to that cause," said Pawlenty. "But he didn't even tee it up. He won't even address it. You know he's got all this soaring rhetoric, but the fact of the matter is he's chicken to address the real issues."

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Mike Huckabee

Huckabee: Palestinians Should Be Resettled In 'Muslim' Territory

Brian Beutler | February 1, 2011, 10:36AM

Fmr. Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee (R)

Far from Iowa, likely Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee told a crowd of Jewish Israelis yesterday that he'd be just as mad as they are if anybody tried to kick him out of America the way Israelis are being asked to not build or live in disputed lands.

"I cannot imagine as an American being told that I could not live in certain places in America because I was Christian, or because I was white, or because I spoke English," Huckabee said. "I would be outraged if someone told me that in my country, I would be prohibited and forbidden to live in a part of that country, for any reason."

Read more »

MT-SEN

Report: GOPer Rehberg To Challenge Dem Sen. Tester In Montana

Eric Kleefeld | February 1, 2011, 10:06AM

Sen. Jon Tester (D-MT) and Rep. Denny Rehberg (R-MT)

A top-tier Senate race in 2012 is now gearing up, with Rep. Denny Rehberg (R-MT) set to announce that he is challenging first-term Democratic Sen. Jon Tester.

Roll Call reports:

"It's happening Saturday," said a knowledgeable Montana GOP political operative. "He's running. There is a lot of support and enthusiasm back home, and Denny knows he can win."

Roll Call also reports that the operative shared an internal Rehberg campaign poll, which gave Rehberg 49% to Tester's 43%. This is fairly similar to a Public Policy Polling (D) survey from this past NOvember, which had Rehberg edging out Tester by a margin of 48%-46%.

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2012 elections

Romney: Obama Exploited Financial Crisis to Promote 'Extreme Liberal Agenda'

Evan McMorris-Santoro | February 1, 2011, 9:50AM

Mitt Romney

Forget that moderate governor of a blue state period of his life: Mitt Romney is going full-on tea partier.

As 2012 draws ever closer, Romney is stepping up his attacks on President Obama and the Democratic party -- including questioning their respect for America. In a new edition of his book No Apology, Romney reportedly takes some hard swipes at Obama, writing that "my worst fears about the president have come true."

From the Boston Globe's Matt Viser, who got an early look at the new introduction to Romney's bestseller:

"Rather than focusing his energy and political capital on solving the economic crisis, he exploited it to promote his extreme liberal agenda,'' Romney writes in the new paperback version of "No Apology,'' according to excerpts provided to the Globe.

"We need a U-turn from the policies of the past few years,'' he adds.

Read more »

Abortion

Radio Silence On Rape-Redefining Abortion Bill From The Right

Evan McMorris-Santoro | February 1, 2011, 8:42AM

Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ) and Speaker of the House John Boehner (R-OH).

The Republican-controlled House is considering new limitations on federal funding for abortion that could be a crown jewel of the GOP leadership's attempt to show its constituents there's a new, socially conservative sheriff in town -- if anyone was willing to discuss it, that is.

It seems one of the only people willing to talk at all about the controversial abortion bill is one of its Democratic co-sponsors, Rep. Dan Lipinski (D-IL). And he's not willing to embrace the language in the bill that appears to redefine rape in a way that would prevent some impregnated victims from having their abortions covered by insurance.

But it's radio silence from the pro-life community, which is usually more than willing to sound off on abortion and what needs to be done to stop it.

Read more »

Oversight Committee

Cummings Presses Conservative Interest Groups For Correspondence With Issa

Brian Beutler | February 1, 2011, 8:24AM

Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-MD)

House Oversight Committee chairman Darrell Issa has surveyed scores of industry and conservative players to figure out how to target investigations of President Obama's regulatory regime. But only a fraction of the responses he's received have been made public, and he won't share the rest with ranking member Elijah Cummings.

So Cummings is going straight to the sources.

In letters sent Monday to the same powerbrokers Issa solicited, Cummings asks for copies of their responses.

Read more »

Club For Growth

Club For Growth May Target Orrin Hatch In 2012

Jillian Rayfield | January 31, 2011, 6:17PM

Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-UT)

Sen. Orrin Hatch may have gotten a pass from the Tea Party Express on a 2012 challenge from the right, but the anti-tax group Club For Growth says it still hasn't made any decisions about him.

Read more »

2012 Presidential Primaries

Huntsman Resigns, Officially: Stage Now Set For 2012 Run

Evan McMorris-Santoro | January 31, 2011, 5:50PM

Jon Huntsman

First came the rumors that President Obama's Ambassador to China, former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman (R), was planning to resign (and maybe run for president.) Then came White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs' confirmation that Huntsman was on the way out (to maybe run for president.) Now comes news that Huntsman has officially tendered his resignation and plans to return to the US by May, which gives him plenty of time to...well, you know.

Politico's Mike Allen reports Huntsman has tendered his resignation from the embassy in China effective this spring, giving him a little over half a year to scale up a presidential campaign -- should he so choose -- by the time of the first nominating contests early next year.

In his letter, Huntsman reportedly "thanks Obama for the opportunity to serve the country and praises the U.S. embassy staff in Beijing." Obama has praised Huntsman's tenure as ambassador, though Allen reports behind the scenes White House officials "are furious at what they consider an audacious betrayal."

Read more »

Health Care

Heavy Hitters Rip Florida Federal Judge's Opinion Striking Health Care Law

Brian Beutler | January 31, 2011, 5:35PM

President Barack Obama

Legal experts who support President Obama's health care law spoke to reporters Monday afternoon to criticize a far-reaching opinion by Florida federal district court judge Roger Vinson that the individual insurance mandate is unconstitutional -- and that the entire law must therefore be voided.

"This is a decision that has such radical implications that I'm confident it will be overturned," said former Solicitor General Walter Dellinger.

In addition to declaring the mandate unconstitutional, Vinson declined to "sever" it from the rest of the law, and instead held that the entire law out should be thrown out. That goes far beyond standard practice, under which courts tend to defer to Congress and sever only the provisions of law that they find unconstitutional -- even if Congress didn't include a "severability clause" in the legislation.

Read more »

Net Neutrality

AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile Unlikely To Challenge Net Neutrality

Stephanie Marcus | January 31, 2011, 4:42PM

While none of the telecom giants appeared to be thrilled with the net neutrality regulations passed last month, only Verizon and Metro PCS have taken a swing, challenging the FCC. But are the other cellular giants -- AT&T, Sprint and T-Mobile -- just letting Verizon take the lead, or are the backing net neutrality?

Both, and neither, according to various sources: they would apparently rather spend their money fighting issues they see as more key to their success, and may see their acceptance of the popular initiative as a competitive advantage.

Read more »

Egypt

Harry Reid: On Egypt, I'm With Obama

Evan McMorris-Santoro | January 31, 2011, 3:55PM

Sen. Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV)

When it comes to the developing international crisis in Egypt, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid says he's with the White House all the way.

"The White House is totally on top of this and I'm totally supportive of them," Reid told reporters on a conference call today.

Like Obama, Reid stopped short of calling for embattled Egyptian president and longtime U.S. ally Hosni Mubarak to step down from power -- as the protesters want -- though he urged the Egyptian regime to respect the "universal rights" of its citizens to speech and protest. He said he hopes Mubarak "will not allow" the protesters to be subject to violent reprisals from the army and national police forces.

Reid called for an "orderly transition to democracy in Egypt."

Read more »

2012 Presidential Primaries

Gibbs: Huntsman Is Leaving The Obama Administration

Evan McMorris-Santoro | January 31, 2011, 3:01PM

Jon Huntsman

Expect the talk of Jon Huntsman For President to reach a fever pitch this week. White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs told reporters at the briefing today that Huntsman, the former Republican governor of Utah, will be leaving his current job as Ambassador to China soon. That clears the way for the political moderate to mount a run for White House next year, as many in Washington expect he will.

Gibbs told reporters that Huntsman is expected to step down from his administration post in the near future. But he said he had no idea of what Huntsman will do next.

"I want to be clear on this: I've talked to several people in the building and I have not heard any of them say that they know what the future holds for Ambassador Huntsman," Gibbs said, according to The Hill.

Read more »

Health Care

Florida Judge Voids Entire Health Care Law

Brian Beutler | January 31, 2011, 3:00PM

President Barack Obama

A federal district court judge in Florida ruled today that a key provision in the new health care law is unconstitutional, and that the entire law must be voided.

Roger Vinson, a Ronald Reagan appointee, agreed with the 26 state-government plaintiffs that Congress exceeded its authority by passing a law penalizing individuals who do not have health insurance.

"I must reluctantly conclude that Congress exceeded the bounds of its authority in passing the Act with the individual mandate," Vinson writes. "Because the individual mandate is unconstitutional and not severable, the entire Act must be declared void."

[Emphasis added]

Read more »

Social Security

Harry Reid Takes Social Security 'Off The Table' (VIDEO)

Brian Beutler | January 31, 2011, 2:41PM

Sen. Harry Reid (D-NV)

At an event with progressive activists last week, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid took major Social Security cuts and privatization completely off the legislative table.

"As long as I'm the Majority Leader, I'm going to do everything within my legislative powers to prevent privatizing or eliminating Social Security," Reid said. "I'll simply say it's off the table."

Read more »

Oversight Committee

Heritage Asks Issa To Reverse Decades Of Worker, Consumer, Environmental Laws

Brian Beutler | January 31, 2011, 2:30PM

Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA)

CREW got a hold of a bunch of letters to House Oversight Committee Chairman Darrell Issa from trade association, industry, and think tank leaders, which identify aspects of the federal regulatory regime that they believe Issa should investigate to make life and profits easier for businesses.

The one that most neatly reflects the priorities of the conservative movement comes from the Heritage Foundation, which is asking Issa to attack decades worth of regulatory and statutory worker and consumer protections.

Here's the laundry list:

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CPAC

Rumsfeld To Get 'Defender Of The Constitution' Award At CPAC

Jillian Rayfield | January 31, 2011, 2:11PM

Donald Rumsfeld

Former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld will receive the "Defender of the Constitution" award at CPAC this year.

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CPAC

Marco Rubio Skipping Boycott-Saddled CPAC This Year

Jillian Rayfield | January 31, 2011, 1:48PM

Former Florida House Speaker Marco Rubio (R-FL)

Marco Rubio may have keynoted CPAC as a senate candidate last year, but now that he's a senator he's not going to show up at all.

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Jon Stewart

Non-Puppet Michael Steele To Appear On The Daily Show Tuesday

Jillian Rayfield | January 31, 2011, 1:05PM

Former RNC Chairman Michael Steele is heading to The Daily Show Tuesday night, and will perhaps face-off with the now-retired puppet version of himself, modeled after Mr. Johnson, the blue muppet from Sesame Street who sends his soup back at Grover's restaurant.

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DCCC

DCCC Targets 19 Republicans Over Spending Cuts, Ethics Issues

Brian Beutler | January 31, 2011, 11:45AM

Rep. David Rivera (R-FL)

The DCCC is already targeting 19 Republicans from marginal districts with local radio ads.

For the most part, the ads criticize the members for supporting GOP spending cut proposals. But they're also going after a couple of members -- Reps. David Rivera (R-FL) and Mike Fitzpatrick (R-PA) -- who remain under ethical clouds.

"Did you know Congressman David Rivera is under criminal investigation for receiving secret payments from his mother's company?" says a narrator in the Rivera ad. "Tell Rivera to come clean so he can finally get to work for us."

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2012 Presidential Primaries

Obama's Amb. To China Setting Up 2012 Prez Bid

Evan McMorris-Santoro | January 31, 2011, 11:29AM

Jon Huntsman

The White House is telling reporters in Washington this week they expect former Gov. Jon Huntsman (R-UT) -- now the administration's Ambassador to China -- to quit his job soon and mount a 2012 bid against President Obama.

Huntsman has been seen as a threat to Obama since the president was inaugurated, with many tea-leaf readers in DC calling Huntsman's appointment to head one of the nation's most important embassies back in 2009 as a preemptive strike by the White House's political team to eliminate a strong reelection rival from the board.

Now, it seems, that rival is back.

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John Boehner

Boehner: Don't Get Attached To Those SOTU Investments Obama Mentioned (VIDEO)

Evan McMorris-Santoro | January 31, 2011, 10:30AM

House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH)

Speaker John Boehner took to the Fox News Sunday airwaves this weekend for his first Sunday show interview since ascending to the top job in the House this month. Previewing what is likely to be bitter budget fight this year, Boehner appeared to dismiss all the new government spending projects President Obama mentioned in his State Of The Union address last Tuesday.

Obama proposed boosting government support for education, internet access and infrastructure as part of a US response to a rising China, what Obama called America's "Sputnik moment." Boehner, who rode into power thanks to a surge of anti-spending tea party voters, told FNS host Chris Wallace not to hold his breath waiting for Obama's requests to make it into a House-passed budget.

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Debt Ceiling

'Pay China First' -- Republicans' Wild Plan To Avoid U.S. Debt Default

Brian Beutler | January 31, 2011, 9:30AM

Sen. Pat Toomey (R-PA)

New Republican legislation in the House and Senate would force the U.S. government to reroute huge amounts of money to China and other creditors in the event that Congress fails to raise its debt ceiling.

"I intend to introduce legislation that would require the Treasury to make interest payments on our debt its first priority in the event that the debt ceiling is not raised," Sen. Pat Toomey (R-PA) wrote in a Friday Wall Street Journal op-ed.

If passed, Toomey's plan would require the government to cut large checks to foreign countries, and major financial institutions, before paying off its obligations to Social Security beneficiaries and other citizens owed money by the Treasury -- that is, if the U.S. hits its debt ceiling. Republican leaders insist they will raise the country's debt limit before this happens. But first, they're going to try to force Democrats to accept large spending cuts, using their control over the debt limit as leverage. That means gridlock, and the threat that they'll come up short.

That's where Toomey's idea supposedly comes in. And yet, according to the Treasury Department, his plan wouldn't actually avoid a default, or its catastrophic consequences.

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