Mitt Romney

Romney Stumbles Over 'Hang Him' Gaffe Aimed At Obama (VIDEO)

Evan McMorris-Santoro | April 29, 2011, 11:22PM

Mitt Romney

In New Hampshire Friday, Mitt Romney stumbled over a line about pinning the nation's melancholy on President Obama that found him scrambling to back away from a quote suggesting Republicans are going to "hang" Obama with America's problems in 2012.

"Uh, so to speak -- metaphorically," Romney quickly corrected, before adding, "you have to be careful these days, I've learned that."

It was a standout gaffe from the first major candidate forum of the 2012 cycle in the Granite State, where Romney joined four other presidential hopefuls at an event sponsored by the tea party-fueling Americans For Prosperity group.

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Mitt Romney

In First New Hampshire Forum, Romney Dances On Health Care

Evan McMorris-Santoro | April 29, 2011, 9:50PM

Former Gov. Mitt Romney (R-MA)

The first major New Hampshire candidate forum of the 2012 cycle just wrapped up and, not surprisingly, Mitt Romney -- the man leading the polls in the state that will host the first primary next year -- was asked a direct question about the health care law he signed while governor of Massachusetts.

The forum was sponsored by Americans For Prosperity, the Koch brothers-funded group that helped tens of thousands pack DC to protest the health care law signed by President Obama last year, which was modeled in part on the plan Romney put into law when he was a chief executive.

Given the audience -- and Republican disdain for the health care law in general -- it was perhaps unsurprising that Romney declined to give a direct answer to the question about his law.

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Syria

Obama Imposes New Sanctions Against Syria

Susan Crabtree | April 29, 2011, 6:42PM

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad

The White House imposed new sanctions on Syria Friday and called on other U.S. allies to follow suit.

President Obama announced the sanctions through a White House executive order in response to a violent crackdown on protesters airing grievances with the government of Bashar Al-Assad, whose family has ruled Syria for four decades.

Syrian citizens Friday crowded the streets in more than 30 cities and towns across the country for its latest "day of rage" protests, promptly a deadly blow from Al-Assad's military, which killed nearly 30 people, according to a Syrian human rights group.

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Priorities USA

Watchdogs Target New Democratic Super PACs

Susan Crabtree | April 29, 2011, 4:33PM

President Barack Obama

That didn't take long.

Just hours after the launch Friday of two new Democratic Super Pacs designed to keep President Obama in the White House and counter deep-pocketed GOP groups who helped Republicans win control of the House in 2010, a prominent watchdog group announced plans to file a complaint against them with the IRS.

The two new groups, Priorities USA and Priorities USA Action, were formed by former Obama White House aides Bill Burton and Sean Sweeney to take advantage of the Supreme Court's Citizens United ruling last year and will collect unlimited funds -- with the goal of $100 million -- from corporations and unions. Only one of the two groups will disclose their donors to the Federal Election Commission.

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Wisconsin State Legislature

Wis. Judge Gives Go-Ahead To July 12 Recalls, Over Dem Objections

Eric Kleefeld | April 29, 2011, 3:50PM

A Dane County, WI judge has approved a request by the state Government Accountability Board (GAB), which oversees elections in the state, to delay some state Senate recall elections and consolidate them into one day on July 12. In the course of making that decision, the judge turned back Democratic objections that some of their recalls should proceed as quickly as possible in June.

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports:

Signatures were filed against senators starting April 1, and under tight timelines in the statutes, the first election could have been scheduled in mid-June. But Dane County Judge John W. Markson agreed to give the accountability board more time to evaluate the petitions and schedule the elections.

He agreed the board needed more time because of the unprecedented demands on evaluating tens of thousands of signatures for each recall attempt. He also noted the board is bogged down by a statewide recount in the April 5 election for state Supreme Court.

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Rick Santorum

Santorum's Foreign Policy In Black And White

Evan McMorris-Santoro | April 29, 2011, 1:25PM

Fmr. Sen. Rick Santorum (R-PA)

Rick Santorum, the former Pennsylvania Senator, social conservative conspiracy theorist and possible presidential candidate, stood before a small audience of reporters Thursday and laid out the case for calling America Number One, and the nation's enemies pure evil.

In a long address aimed at bolstering his foreign policy credentials, Santorum took aim at what he characterized as President Obama's refusal to accept American exceptionalism and the White House's propensity to appease "evil."

It was a speech right out of the foreign policy playbook of the previous administration, and one that demonstrated the conservative view that Obama's hands are just too soft to carry the necessary big stick around the globe.

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EPA

Ads Hit McCaskill, Brown On EPA Votes

Melissa Jeltsen | April 29, 2011, 1:07PM

Sens. Scott Brown (R-MA) and Claire McCaskill (D-MO)

A Republican and a Democratic senator who both face re-election in 2012 are coming under attack for their votes to reduce the Environmental Protection Agency's regulatory power.

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Medicare

Bachmann Backtracking On Support For Abolishing Medicare?

Brian Beutler | April 29, 2011, 12:57PM

Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN)

Some unexpectedly lukewarm words from Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN) on the House GOP budget -- which she voted for.

"I supported that budget blueprint, though I've expressed caution about how we approach the issue of Medicare," Bachmann wrote in a post at the conservative website Red State. "We must keep our promises to those who receive Medicare benefits, and those who are nearing the age of Medicare eligibility. Our challenge is to reduce the soaring amounts that government spends on health care, without burdening those who are most vulnerable."

This is technically compatible with the plan Republicans voted for two weeks ago, which phases out Medicare for everybody under 55 and replaces it with a private insurance system. But it's a far cry from the jubilant spin most Republicans use to defend the vote -- that they're "saving" Medicare.

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special election

Tea Partier Puts GOP-Friendly NY District Into Play For Dems

Benjy Sarlin | April 29, 2011, 12:49PM

Jack Davis

In a potential replay of the 2009 NY-23 special election that saw a third-party candidacy turn a red-leaning district blue, a Tea Party candidate is threatening to hand Democrats an upset in the race to replace resigned Republican Rep. Chris Lee in NY-26.

A new poll from Siena Research Institute finds Republican Jane Corwin leading the race with 36% of the vote, while Democrat Kathy Hochul takes in 31%. Jack Davis, a wealthy businessman courting the Tea Party vote, draws a surprisingly strong 23%, making the race highly volatile. The district went for John McCain in 2008 by 6 points over Barack Obama.

Davis previously ran for the seat unsuccessfully as a Democrat in 2006 and 2008; however, he says he will caucus with the GOP if he wins. He is a harsh critic of the recent Republican budget, especially its plan to privatize Medicare, but his campaign is overwhelmingly concentrated on promoting an isolationist foreign policy and restrictions on free trade.

In a parallel to the NY-23 race, the Republican candidate's more moderate positions -- Corwin is pro-choice -- have left an opening for attacks from her right. Two rival Tea Party groups in the regionsplit their endorsements between Davis and Corwin and are engaged in a bitter dispute over the race.

The special election for the open seat, left vacant after Rep. Lee resigned over a topless Craigslist personals ad, will take place on May 24.

2012 elections

In 2012 Money Race, Democrats Say Game On!

Susan Crabtree | April 29, 2011, 12:22PM

President Barack Obama

Democrats, still smarting from the 2010 midterm defeats, are determined not to sit on the fundraising sidelines and be caught flat-flooted again. Leading Democratic strategists are building a new arsenal for control of the White House and Congress in 2012, employing the same unlimited, secret donor activities that President Barack Obama and many Democrat have vociferously opposed.

Two new groups, Priorities USA and Priorities USA Action, have launched to counter deep-pocketed GOP groups and are planning to raise $100 million to keep Obama in the White House and elect more Democrats to Congress, according to a report in Politico.

The twin Priorities committees will mimic the example of Karl Rove's American Crossroads and Crossroads GPS, the two groups that drew widespread criticism from Obama and Democrats during the 2010 cycle for taking full advantage of the Supreme Court ruling in Citizens United that allowed unlimited, undisclosed corporate and union donations to outside groups. One will disclose its donors while the other will not.

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Birth Certificate

With Drudge Report's Help, Birthers Latch Onto Phony Forgery Theory

Benjy Sarlin | April 29, 2011, 10:23AM

President Barack Obama's long form birth certificate.

In a predictable turn, conspiracy theorists are now rallying behind a bogus claim that President Obama's long form birth certificate is a Photoshopped forgery -- with a huge helping hand from one of conservative media's biggest names.

The fringe theory's rapid spread within hours of the certificate's release presents almost a perfect example of one of the White House's justifications for taking on the birther issue -- namely, that thanks to the internet, conspiracy theories can migrate quickly from the fringe and into the mainstream if left unchecked.

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Sally Kern

OK GOPer Apologizes For Saying Black People Don't Work As Hard

Jillian Rayfield | April 29, 2011, 10:02AM

State Rep. Sally Kern (R-OK)

Oklahoma State Rep. Sally Kern (R) has apologized for her comments about black people not working as hard, saying that "my words were, obviously, not spoken correctly and for that I humbly apologize."

But, she added: "Unfortunately, when we take 'words or sentences' out of the total context of a speech debated on the floor, there can be false misrepresentations, but the most important part is to always go to the heart of the matter."

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Canada

Yes, America, There Is A Canada

Eric Kleefeld | April 29, 2011, 9:49AM

Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper and New Democratic Party Leader Jack Layton

The year 2011 is shaping up to be a decisive, politically realigning time...for our country's neighbor to the north and largest trading partner, Canada. In the country's national election this Monday, their multi-party system is being shaken up dramatically by the sudden rise -- and quite possible parliamentary victory -- of their traditional third party, the left-wing New Democrats (NDP).

Direct comparisons between other countries' political parties and the U.S. can often be overly simplistic. The Conservative Party in its modern right-wing form could be compared to the Republicans -- but even that is not a perfect comparison, as for example they resist any attack that they would ever get rid of the country's single-payer universal health care system. After that, it gets very complex.

The Liberal Party, the country's traditionally dominant party and main progressive party, is in some ways similar to the span of much of the Democrats in the U.S., with the exception of its most left-leaning members. As for the NDP, imagine if the kind of U.S. Democrats who constitute the Congressional Progressive Caucus in Washington were in fact their own party -- one with its own history and culture, its own strongholds and places they hope to win -- and with no particular love for the Democrats, and sometimes splitting votes with them. And when it comes to the Bloc Quebecois, a group that presents some key problems, we will see how they defy direct comparisons entirely.

Recent polls show the NDP, aided by the personal popularity of its leader Jack Layton, catapulting into second place, pushing the comparatively more moderate Liberal Party into third. If NDP support continues to rise, it's conceivable that Layton could ultimately become Prime Minister of the country with Liberal support, and as such put the incumbent Conservatives out of power.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper's Conservative Party is determined to win the prize that has eluded them -- an actual majority of seats in Parliament. But if the current polls prove accurate, and the NDP broke through into a strong second place, that would place the country in a whole new territory.

But let's take a step back and get a primer in Canadian politics.

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Medicare

Washington Post Gives GOP 'Two Pinocchios' For Claiming Privatized Medicare Like Health Care Members Of Congress Have

Brian Beutler | April 29, 2011, 9:42AM

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

As long as self-anointed fact-checkers are dumping on Democrats for claiming the GOP plan to phase out Medicare and replace it with a private insurance system "ends" the program altogether, they might as well fact check the obverse claim. Specifically, the GOP's argument that their plan "saves" Medicare and provides seniors coverage "just like" the insurance members of Congress have.

The Washington Post's Glenn Kessler took on the task and concluded, "We think the reference to the health plan for members of Congress gives a false and misleading impression to ordinary people."

He gives the claim "Two Pinocchios."

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Donald Trump

Trump On China: 'Listen You Mother F***ers' (VIDEO)

Evan McMorris-Santoro | April 29, 2011, 9:00AM

Donald Trump

Donald Trump has found a new way to separate himself from the crowd of would-be Republican presidential candidates. During a Las Vegas stump speech last night, Trump fired off several hearty f-bombs to a group of adoring fans.

From reports of the speech in local press, the message wasn't much different from the populism-heavy address he gave at a Florida tea party rally Apr. 16, a speech seen as the first "serious" address of his maybe-candidacy. There was one slight addition to all the populist talk however.

Here's the partial transcript, as posted (and edited) by KTNV-TV:

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Sharron Angle

Sharron Angle For Senate? Poll Says Fat Chance

Jon Terbush | April 29, 2011, 8:20AM

According to a PPP poll released this week, Sharron Angle would face strong opposition should she run for a Senate seat in Nevada next year. This time, however, that opposition would come from within her own party.

In the poll, Angle trailed Rep. Dean Heller (R) in a hypothetical Republican primary contest to seek the seat being vacated by embattled Sen. John Ensign (R) -- and it wasn't even close. In that matchup, Heller led Angle by a mammoth 84% to 8% margin.

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Mitt Romney

New Hampshire Dems To File FEC Complaint Against Mitt Romney

Benjy Sarlin | April 29, 2011, 5:00AM

The New Hampshire Democratic Party plans to file a complaint on Friday against Mitt Romney's Political Action Committees, asking the FEC to investigate whether they violate campaign finance laws.

Romney raised eyebrows last year with an extensive PAC operation that some ethics watchdogs said exploited loopholes to skirt campaign finance laws. By setting up PACs in multiple states, Romney's top donors were able to contribute many times the maximum amount allowed to a single campaign -- $1.5 million from only 38 individuals in 2009 and 2010, according to the Boston Globe. In addition, the PACs were used to finance consultants and staff who now form the groundwork for a possible presidential campaign.

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Wisconsin

Wis. GOPers Could Dodge Court Challenge, Pass Anti-Union Law Again

Eric Kleefeld | April 28, 2011, 6:04PM

Wisconsin state Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald (R) and Gov. Scott Walker (R)

The saga of Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker's (R) anti-public employee union legislation is far from over. With the law now blocked and tied up in the courts on procedural grounds, Republicans are publicly mulling the simple step of passing it again.

The Capital Times reports:

Andrew Welhouse, a spokesman for Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald, R-Juneau, said Thursday that while the "preferred avenue" for implementing the collective bargaining bill is still the state courts, there is a "possibility" the bill will be inserted into the 2011-2013 state budget.

"There is a possibility, and it has been informally discussed among Republican leadership, including the Joint Finance Committee co-chairs, that if the matter can't be fully decided on by the Supreme Court, then it will be inserted into the full budget," Welhouse told The Capital Times.

In addition, a labor source has told TPM that there is some expectation of action beginning this Tuesday, May 3, which according to the legislative schedule is the next scheduled day for the Joint Finance Committee.

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John Boehner

After Brief Honeymoon, Americans Sour On Boehner

Jon Terbush | April 28, 2011, 5:01PM

House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH)

After giving Speaker of the House John Boehner (R-OH) a brief post-election bump, Americans have gradually become less favorable toward him, as they are now evenly split between viewing him in a positive versus a negative light.

According to a Gallup poll released this week, 34% of Americans say they have a favorable opinion of Speaker Boehner, the same percentage who view him unfavorably. That's a sharp reversal from January, when Gallup found that 42% of Americans viewed him favorably, compared to only 22% who said the opposite.

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Rick Santorum

Rick Santorum: I'm Pretty Sure Planned Parenthood Practices Eugenics

Evan McMorris-Santoro | April 28, 2011, 4:20PM

Fmr. Sen. Rick Santorum (R-PA)

There are many reasons social conservatives give for cutting off federal funding to Planned Parenthood. After a foreign policy speech today, former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum expertly laid out one of the more extreme: Planned Parenthood, he said, is a bit too interested in racial eugenics for his taste.

"Well, look at -- and I know they dispute this -- certainly a lot of evidence that the location of their clinics happen to be in places, historically places, where there are high concentrations of minorities for example," Santorum explained to a gaggle of reporters after a foreign policy speech he made in Washington today. "

The placement of clinics and the targeted advertising may be a vestige of what Santorum called Planned Parenthood's "horrific origins," but he said much of the "poisonous" nature of the organization has remained even as it has claimed to, he said, "transform over time."

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Barack Obama

Approval Of Obama's Handling Of Economy Hits All-Time Low In Marist Poll

Jon Terbush | April 28, 2011, 3:08PM

President Barack Obama

With the economy still sputtering and gas prices rising, the percentage of Americans who approve of how President Obama has managed the economy has sunk to a new low, according a Marist poll released on Thursday.

In the poll, only 40% of registered voters said they approved of how Obama had handled the economy. Meanwhile, 57% said they disapproved of Obama's job performance with respect to the economy, also a record in Marist's polls.

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Oklahoma GOPer: It's A Fact That 'Blacks' Don't Work As Hard

Jillian Rayfield | April 28, 2011, 12:20PM

State Rep. Sally Kern (R-OK)

Oklahoma State Rep. Sally Kern (R) says that she's seen "a lot of people of color who didn't study hard because they said the government would take care of them."

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Medicare

Constituent Arrested At Allen West Town Hall Says She Was Maced In Jail (VIDEO)

Brian Beutler | April 28, 2011, 11:25AM

Rep. Allen West (R-FL)

A constituent arrested at a Florida town hall event in Rep. Allen West's district says she was singled out for political reasons, taken into custody under false pretenses, and maced in jail. And she has video to prove some, if not all, of it.

Nicole Sandler is a progressive radio show host*, and one of West's constituents. At a town hall event Tuesday, West was screening questions -- a departure from his usual practice of taking questions from audience members lined up at the mics. When he ducked a question about the House GOP plan to phase out Medicare and replace it with a private insurance system, Sandler shouted out a followup.

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Wisconsin State Legislature

Wis. Election Officials Seek To Hold Recalls On July 12

Eric Kleefeld | April 28, 2011, 11:15AM

The Wisconsin Government Accountability Board (GAB), which oversees elections in the state, is seeking a timeline that would allow state Senate recall elections to be held on July 12 -- consolidating many different recalls into one day.

As WisPolitics reports, the agency is asking a Dane County judge to give them an extension on the 31-day period that they have to review recall petitions:

The GAB argued the additional time was needed, in part, because of the demands now placed on the agency by the ongoing statewide recount in the Supreme Court race and the thousands of signatures filed against state senators so far.

It also points out in the filing recall elections by themselves are very rare in Wisconsin. To have eight going on at the same time is extraordinary.

"In addition, this number of simultaneous recalls has never occurred anywhere in the United States," the Department of Justice points out in the brief.

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Birther

The Best Birther Parodies

Benjy Sarlin | April 28, 2011, 10:10AM

Wacked out conspiracy theorists might be an annoyance, but their outlandish ideas make for hilarious Internet parodies. Here are some of the best.

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Medicare

Rep. Allen West (R-FL): Medicare Will Destroy America

Benjy Sarlin | April 28, 2011, 9:49AM

Rep. Allen West (R-FL)

It can't be easy defending your party's plan to cut and privatize Medicare in retiree-heavy Boca Raton, Florida, but Rep. Allen West gave it his best shot on Wednesday. Questioned by constituents about the budget at a town hall, the freshman Republican warned that everyone is doomed with Medicare as is.

"I gotta tell you something: if you support Medicare the way it is now, you can kiss the United States of America goodbye," West said, according to local station WPTV.

The town hall drew a number of protesters, some of whom were led out of the event by security after heckling the Congressman. West's Democratic-leaning district is considered among the most vulnerable in 2012.

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Massachusetts

Mass Gov. Deval Patrick On Collective Bargaining Cut: 'This Is Not Wisconsin'

Evan McMorris-Santoro | April 28, 2011, 9:41AM

Gov. Deval Patrick (D-MA)

Union supporters had a rude awakening on Wednesday with news of the Massachusetts state House vote to slash collective bargaining rights for municipal workers. Democratic-controlled, and among the bluest of the blue, Massachusetts is not the place where most expected to see the next battle in the nationwide organized labor fight with state legislatures crop up.

The state House bill, which passed with overwhelming support in the Democratic-controlled state legislature, would "strip police officers, teachers, and other municipal employees of most of their rights to bargain over health care," as the Boston Globe reported Wednesday. The goal, according to proponents, is of course to "save millions of dollars for financially strapped cities and towns."

What happens next is unclear. But the president of the state AFL-CIO and Gov. Deval Patrick (D) agree -- Massachusetts is not likely to be the next Wisconsin.

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Medicare

Study: Republicans' Hidden $34 Trillion Tax On Seniors

Brian Beutler | April 28, 2011, 9:41AM

Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI) wants Congress to retain control of the fees that the United States Patent and Trademark Office collects and divert them to other government programs.

A new report by economists at the liberal Center for Economic and Policy Research looks at House Republicans' plan for privatizing Medicare from a new angle, and finds that it could increase health care costs for beneficiaries by a staggering $34 trillion over 75 years.

You won't find these expenditures on the government ledger. They represent the amount of money Medicare beneficiaries would have to pay out of pocket if they wanted to buy insurance policies that provide Medicare-equivalent benefits.

The reasoning is fairly straightforward, according to CEPR's Dean Baker and David Rosnick.

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Birth Certificate

The GOP Reacts: We Never Cared About The Birth Certificate -- But It's About Time Already!

Benjy Sarlin | April 28, 2011, 8:56AM

Former candidate for Vice President Sarah Palin

It's been a full day since the White House released President Obama's long form birth certificate, and prominent Republicans are coalescing around a few recurring notes in their reaction.

Responses for the most part fall into two broad, sometimes overlapping, themes in which Republicans either accuse President Obama of taking too long to put the birther nonsense to bed or suggest he's exploiting the issue by even addressing it.

While speculation around Obama's legitimacy occurs almost exclusively in conservative circles -- reaching a high point in recent weeks amid Donald Trump's birther campaign -- a number of mostly mainstream Republicans characterized Obama's statement as a smokescreen that distracts from various other topics.The most oft-quoted example came from Sarah Palin who tweeted: "Now, don't let the WH distract you w/the birth crt from what Bernanke says today. Stay focused, eh?" referring to a rare press conference from the Federal Reserve chairman.

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Rick Santorum

We Found Weapons Of Mass Destruction: Rick Santorum's Greatest Foreign Policy Hits

Evan McMorris-Santoro and Jillian Rayfield | April 28, 2011, 8:47AM

Former Sen. Rick Santorum (R-PA)

Rick Santorum is serious about foreign policy. On Thursday, he'll give a major address on the topic, taking his presidential almost-campaign away from its focus on social issues and inadvertent gay poet endorsements for a moment, to turn his gaze to the wider world.

"Not only was I in the Senate for 12 years, but I was very, very active in national security issues and actually took the lead on a lot of national security issues, particularly focused on the Middle East, which is not just the hot spot now but an ongoing hot spot," Santorum, who also chaired the Armed Services Committee, told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette recently.

And looking back at Santorum's foreign policy past, it's true that he's taken many strong stands...

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Louie Gohmert

Gohmert: The Birth Certificate Proves We Need A Federal Birther Law

Evan McMorris-Santoro | April 27, 2011, 6:21PM

Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-TX)

Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-TX) welcomed the release of President Obama's long-form birth certificate on Wednesday, after suffering what he said had been "arrogant condescension" from Obama's supporters. And he said the redundant proof that Obama was indeed born where everyone knew he was born shows that Congress really needs to pass a law requiring presidential candidates to produce their birth certificates.

"It is truly distressing that the administration would wait so long to release such an important piece of documentation, when such a simple act was all it required," Gohmert said in a statement. "In my mind, a critically important action we could take in Congress is to eliminate similar controversies arising in future elections."

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Birth Certificate

Birther-Curious Rep. Paul Broun: Obama Birth Certificate "Two Years Overdue"

Benjy Sarlin | April 27, 2011, 6:19PM

Rep. Paul Broun (R-GA)

After flirting with birtherism in the past, Rep. Paul Broun (R-GA), told reporters Wednesday that Obama's long form birth certificate was "two years overdue" while insisting he was focused on the economy instead.

"I am more interested in President Obama producing a budget that actually cuts spending and removes the regulatory burden on small businesses so they can create jobs and grow our economy," Broun said in a statement. "Or perhaps he can produce a realistic energy policy to help ease the pain at the pump Americans are feeling by reducing our dependency on foreign sources. Regardless, until the President is ready to produce something that isn't a 'commission', political speech, or a document two years overdue - Republicans in Congress will continue to work tirelessly to produce the kind of economic solutions that the American people are demanding."

In 2010, Broun told a radio host that he did not know if President Obama was an American citizen or a Christian. A spokesman for Broun told Politico shortly after the incident that he wasn't questioning Obama's birthplace or religion, he simply didn't want to speculate.

Birther

Georgia Governor Who Asked For Obama's Birth Certificate Now 'Focused On Creating Jobs'

Ryan J. Reilly | April 27, 2011, 5:07PM

Gov. Nathan Deal (R-GA)

Republican Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal, who wrote a letter to President Barack Obama demanding to see his long-form birth certificate, isn't focused on the "birther" issue these days, according to a spokeswoman.

Read more »

Atlas Shrugged

Tea Party's Hopes For Atlas Shrugged Trilogy Foiled By Terrible Reviews

Jillian Rayfield | April 27, 2011, 5:02PM

For those Tea Partiers on the edge of their seats, waiting to find out what happens in the next two installments of the Atlas Shrugged movie series -- they may not want to hold their breath.

John Aglialoro, the producer, distributor, and financier of the first Atlas Shrugged movie, says he's reconsidering his plans, thanks to scathing reviews from movie critics (and TPM). "Critics, you won," he told the Los Angeles Times. "I'm having deep second thoughts on why I should do Part 2."

Read more »

NV-02

Angle Won't Run As Indy -- But Criticizes Special Election Process

Eric Kleefeld | April 27, 2011, 4:39PM

NV-02 House candidate Sharron Angle (R)

Sharron Angle, the former Nevada state representative and unsuccessful 2010 Republican Senate nominee, is committing to run for Nevada's open (and soon to be vacant) House seat as a Republican -- after some speculation that she might launch an independent bid if the party leaders did not select her for the special election.

At the same time, the Las Vegas Review Journal reports, Angle pledged to continue running in the Republican primary for the 2012 cycle, and she criticized the fact that party leaders, rather than voters, could end up picking the candidate -- a pretty clear hint that she could potentially challenge any Republican who does get elected, if she were passed over.

"I look forward to running in a legitimate campaign cycle where all registered voters are able to participate in both a primary and general election," Angle said in a statement released on Tuesday. "A special election free-for-all, or a situation where party insiders nominate a candidate, does disservice to our representative democracy."

On Wednesday, Rep. Dean Heller (R) was officially announced as the new appointee to the Senate after the resignation of Sen. John Ensign. Heller had already been running for the seat, following Ensign's earlier announcement that he would not run in 2012, which led Angle to declare her candidacy in her home House district that she had carried in the 2010 Senate race.

Republicans

Republicans To Harry Reid: Two Can Play At That Game On The Budget

Brian Beutler | April 27, 2011, 4:21PM

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) will force Republicans to vote on the House GOP budget, Medicare privatization and all. That's a shrewd move no matter the result -- either a lot of Republicans vote for it, and then own it politically, or it splits the party and validates the view that supporting the plan is an extreme position.

But it's also the Senate, and that means the minority can swing right back at the Democrats.

"While Sen. Reid may think that's a clever move, how is he going to explain to his members that they have to vote on the President's budget, or any of the House Democrat budgets that they can't possible support," notes a Senate Republican aide. "The President's budget alone would split the hell out of his conference. We've seen this movie before when he held a vote on H.R. 1 [the House Republican spending bill] and a vote on the Dem alternative -- it backfired because the House bill got MORE votes than the Senate Dem bill. I can't imagine very many of the Senate Dems could defend the President's budget."

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NV-SEN

Heller Appointed To Nevada Senate Seat

Eric Kleefeld | April 27, 2011, 3:54PM

Rep. Dean Heller (R-NV)

Rep. Dean Heller (R-NV) is officially the newly appointed Senator for Nevada, the Las Vegas Sun reports. He'll take the seat being vacated in early May with the resignation of Republican Sen. John Ensign.

Heller had already been running for the seat, following the scandal-plagued Ensign's announcement that he would not run again in 2012. When Ensign announced his resignation last week, Heller became the immediate favorite to be appointed by Republican Gov. Brian Sandoval.

"The people of Nevada deserve a new senator who can begin work immediately," Sandoval said in a press release, mounting an apparent defense of his appointment of an already active candidate. "Too many important issues face our state and our nation to name a caretaker to this important position; Nevada needs an experienced voice in Washington, DC."

This appointment gives Heller an initial incumbency in 2012 against his Democratic challenger, Rep. Shelley Berkley. A recent survey from Public Policy Polling (D) gave Heller a narrow lead of 47%-43% over Berkley in this perennial swing state.

Gas Prices

Reid to GOP: Just Try Voting Against Ending Subsidies For Oil Giants

Susan Crabtree | April 27, 2011, 3:52PM

Sen. Harry Reid (D-NV)

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) is following the White House's lead by seizing on the populist idea of ending subsidies for the five largest oil giants.

Reid said he would hold a vote as soon as possible on a bill to eliminate the tax breaks for the five largest oil companies, Exxon Mobil, BP, Chevron, Royal Dutch Shell and ConocoPhillips, which have reported record profits in recent weeks and months.

"We have to take away the subsidies for these five major oil companies," he told reporters on a conference call Wednesday. "There's no need for these subsidies. The companies have broken records [with their] profits."

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Debt

Reid: No Lines In The Sand From Democrats On Increasing Debt Limit

Brian Beutler | April 27, 2011, 3:39PM

Sen. Harry Reid (D-NV)

Unlike his Republican counterparts, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (R-NV) says he'll make no ironclad demands in negotiations over raising the national debt limit. But he hinted that he favors an approach that's at odds with Republican goals, and the stated goals of members of his own party.

"We're not going to be drawing any lines in the sand," he told reporters on a conference call Wednesday afternoon.

That suggests Dems have given up on the idea that they can force Republicans to raise the debt limit without attached measures aimed at reducing deficits, particularly by cutting spending. Reid says Congress will be able to mix and match ideas from a number of floating plans, including the House GOP budget, a forthcoming budget authored by Senate Budget Committee Kent Conrad, the bipartisan Gang of Six's soon-to-be released deficit reduction plan, and the fiscal framework President Obama outlined in his deficit speech earlier this month.

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Harry Reid

Reid To Senate Republicans: You Wanna Privatize Medicare? Vote For It!

Brian Beutler | April 27, 2011, 2:38PM

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV)

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) confirmed on a conference call with reporters Wednesday that he'll force Senate Republicans to vote on the controversial House GOP budget.

"We're going to have an opportunity in the Senate to vote for the [Paul] Ryan budget," Reid told reporters, to "see if Republicans in the Senate like the Ryan budget as much as their colleagues [in the House] did."

That budget, which passed in the lower chamber with near-unanimous GOP support, includes a policy agenda that would phase out Medicare, dramatically slash Medicaid, while reducing the tax burden on the wealthiest Americans. It has become the source of significant heartburn for vulnerable House Republicans, who have had to face down angry constituents in their districts during the current two-week recess.

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Birther

Among Birther Friendly Lawmakers, Mostly Radio Silence

Benjy Sarlin | April 27, 2011, 1:39PM

President Barack Obama's long form birth certificate.

President Obama's decision to release his long form birth certificate comes amid Donald Trump's three-ring circus on the issue, but prominent conservatives have flirted with the birther movement since its earliest inception. From insisting Obama release more records, to waffling on questions about his citizenship, to sponsoring legislation winking at conspiracy theorists, there's been no shortage of birther curious behavior over the last several years.

TPM reached out to over 20 lawmakers and public figures who have indulged in such behavior to determine whether Obama's release of the Rosetta stone of birtherism has settled the issue, receiving few responses.

TPM SLIDESHOW: There's The Birth Certificate: TPM's Best Of The Birthers

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Wisconsin Supreme Court

Wis. Court Recount Off To Rough Start In Waukesha County

Eric Kleefeld | April 27, 2011, 1:35PM

Waukesha County Clerk Kathy Nickolaus

The Wisconsin Supreme Court recount has already hit a snag in Waukesha County -- the heavily Republican county that has been at the center of the vote-counting controversies -- and in the first bag of votes that they counted, too.

Waukesha County Clerk Kathy Nickolaus (R), whose handling of the vote-count has attracted so much attention -- with her announced discovery of un-tabulated votes in the City of Brookfield, which she blamed on her own human error in importing the data into the county's database -- has recused herself from heading up the county's canvassing board in the recount.

Regardless, errors abound.

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Ohio

Obama Slams Kasich's Union-Busting Bill In Ohio (VIDEO)

Evan McMorris-Santoro | April 27, 2011, 12:54PM

President Barack Obama

President Obama sat down with a local reporter from Ohio on Tuesday and laid into the anti-collective bargaining bill signed into law by Gov. John Kasich (R) last month.

SB5, as the law is known, eliminates the right of thousands of state workers to collectively bargain for benefits and makes going on strike illegal. Democrats and union supports have vowed to fight the legislation at the ballot box, and they've said the issue has done a lot to fire up the base after big Republican wins (including Kasich's) in 2010.

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Tea Party Nation

Tea Party Nation: Hold Your Horses -- We've Got Some Other Questions About Obama's 'Eligibility'

Jillian Rayfield | April 27, 2011, 12:54PM

Judson Phillips, leader of Tea Party Nation.

Judson Phillips, founder of Tea Party Nation, says that it's all well and good that President Obama has released his long-form birth certificate, but there are still several other questions about his "eligibility" and background that need answering. Among them: Why won't the President release his school records, and is he hiding the fact that he was on a foreign student scholarship?

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Wisconsin Supreme Court

Dane County: Our Recount Of Wis. Court Race Will Take Longer

Eric Kleefeld | April 27, 2011, 12:05PM

Wisconsin Supreme Court candidate JoAnne Kloppenburg and Justice David Prosser

In another speed bump for the Wisconsin Supreme Court race, the election officials in Dane County (Madison) are saying that they are unlikely to finish their part of the recount within the allotted two weeks.

The Wisconsin State Journal reports:

"We only have 13 days, and I believe ours will take longer," said clerk Karen Peters.

...In Dane County, Peters said the county Board of Canvassers will work from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. today, and from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. each day thereafter until the job is done.

The state Government Accountability Board, which oversees elections, set the deadline but left open the possibility that it could be extended for some counties.

Liberal-backed challenger JoAnne Kloppenburg formally requested the recount last week, with incumbent conservative Justice David Prosser ahead by 7,316 votes, or 0.488%. This is within the 0.5% margin that entitled Kloppenburg to request a recount at state and local government expense -- and followed the controversial announcement by the county clerk in heavily Republican Waukesha County that she had discovered un-tabulated votes that were not properly added to the county's database, putting Prosser ahead after trailing in the initial numbers.

Birther

Trump On Obama's Birth Certificate: I'm 'Honored' -- But Where Are His School Records? (VIDEO)

Jillian Rayfield | April 27, 2011, 10:43AM

Donald Trump

Beaming with pride, Donald Trump took credit on Wednesday for President Obama releasing a copy of his long-form birth certificate -- but with some qualifications.

"I'm very proud of myself because I've accomplished something that nobody else has been able to accomplish," he said in press conference in New Hampshire. "I'm really honored."

TPM SLIDESHOW: There's The Birth Certificate: TPM's Best Of The Birthers

But, Trump said, "we have to look at it. We have to see, is it real? Is it proper?" He added: "It is rather amazing that all of a sudden it materializes." And, Trump said, there are still questions about President Obama's background. "The word is," Trump told the press, Obama "was a terrible student when he went to Occidental [College]. He then gets to Columbia. He then gets to Harvard."

"I don't know why he doesn't release his records," Trump said. "Why doesn't he release his Occidental records?"

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Newt Gingrich

Gingrich On Birth Certificate Release: 'Why Did It Take So Long?'

Evan McMorris-Santoro | April 27, 2011, 10:22AM

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-GA)

TPM just caught up with Newt Gingrich after his address at the National Catholic Prayer Breakfast on Wednesday morning. We asked about the news of the moment, the release of President Obama's long-form birth certificate.

Gingrich was in the breakfast all morning, so he appeared to be hearing the news for the first time. He laughed when asked for his reaction and cautioned, "I haven't even looked at it yet."

TPM SLIDESHOW: There's The Birth Certificate: TPM's Best Of The Birthers

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Barack Obama

Obama On Birther Issue: 'We Don't Have Time For This Silliness"

Susan Crabtree | April 27, 2011, 10:11AM

President Barack Obama

President Obama, in a rare public appearance on a personal issue Wednesday, scolded the media and those consumed with trying to prove he was not born in the United States.

"I know that there's going to be a segment of people for which, no matter what we put out, this issue will not be put to rest ... ," Obama told reporters. "We do not have time for this kind of silliness. We've got better stuff to do. I've got better stuff to do. We've got big problems to solve. And I'm confident we can solve them, but we're going to have to focus on them -- not on this."

TPM SLIDESHOW: There's The Birth Certificate: TPM's Best Of The Birthers

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Birth Certificate

Polls Show About Half Of GOPers Think Obama Wasn't Born In U.S.

Jon Terbush | April 27, 2011, 10:09AM

With the release of President Obama's long form birth certificate on Wednesday, many are wondering why the White House decided to even bother wading into the birther debate long after it had been proven to be a red herring.

One reason, as noted by Obama in a press conference Tuesday morning, is that while the birther controversy is largely considered a fringe issue, it's actually mainstream within Republican ranks, according to several recent polls.

TPM SLIDESHOW: There's The Birth Certificate: TPM's Best Of The Birthers

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Barack Obama

President Obama Releases Long Form Birth Certificate

Ryan J. Reilly | April 27, 2011, 9:12AM

President Barack Obama

Hoping to end a long-running "controversy" over whether he was born in the United States, the White House released President Barack Obama's long-form birth certificate on Wednesday.

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Libya

Obama Sends $25 Million To Libyan Rebels

Susan Crabtree | April 27, 2011, 9:01AM

President Barack Obama formally ordered up to $25 million in urgent -- but non-military -- aid for Libyan rebels fighting Muammar Qaddafi as a fears of a open-ended stalemate escalated.

Obama granted the funds to Libya's Transitional National Council in a memo from the President to Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton early Tuesday evening.

Douglas Holtz-Eakin

Holtz-Eakin: GOP Medicare Plan 'A Significant And Serious Proposal'

Brian Beutler | April 27, 2011, 8:55AM

Douglas Holtz-Eakin

In addition to noting that Congress must raise the debt limit, and quickly, Doug Holtz-Eakin also vouched for the House GOP Budget, and in particular its prescription to privatize and cut the cost of Medicare.

In a brief interview Tuesday, Holtz-Eakin -- who headed the Congressional Budget Office during the Bush administration, and was John McCain's chief economic adviser during the 2008 presidential campaign -- called the plan "a significant and serious proposal."

"The most important thing about what's in the House plan is in fact we finally have a budget limit," he said. "For Medicare you say here's the budget, go be efficient. For Medicaid you cap the taxpayers exposure and you give it to the states with a lot of flexibility and say go be efficient and those may not be perfect proposals, but we do in fact ultimately force our decision-making into a budget."

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David Petraeus

Panetta To Move To Pentagon, Petraeus To CIA

Susan Crabtree | April 27, 2011, 8:52AM

Leon Panetta and David Petraeus

President Obama plans to tap CIA Director Leon Panetta to head the Defense Department to replace outgoing Defense Secretary Robert Gates, and David Petraeus will succeed Panetta at the CIA, according to media reports.

Petraeus, 58, currently serves as the commander of allied forces in Afghanistan and previously led operations in Iraq from 2006 to 2008.

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Newt Gingrich

Gingrich: Secular Elites Have Declared War On Time Itself

Evan McMorris-Santoro | April 27, 2011, 8:03AM

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-GA)

Newt Gingrich, the maybe presidential candidate and recent Catholic convert is ready to stand up and defend the basic concept of time from what he says is an onslaught from America's secular elite.

Speaking before a large crowd at the National Catholic Prayer Breakfast in Washington Wednesday morning, Gingrich described his conversion to the faith from his past as a Southern Baptist. He praised breakfast's honoree, the late Pope John Paul II, and then set about describing what he said is the ongoing religious conflict in the country led by the secular types.

"The American elites are guided by their desire to emulate the European elites," he said in prepared remarks he stuck closely to in his speech, "and, as a result, anti-religious values and principles are coming to dominate the academic, news media, and judicial class in America."

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Michigan

Michigan Labor Professor FOIAs Move Forward

Evan McMorris-Santoro | April 26, 2011, 6:10PM

Mackinac Center for Public Policy in Midland, Michigan

A little less than a month ago, a conservative-leaning policy think tank in Michigan took advantage of the labor strife in Wisconsin to call on three state-run universities to hand over emails related to the Wisconsin protests and MSNBC's Rachel Maddow, written by labor studies professors.

So far, the emails from the University of Michigan, Wayne State University and Michigan State University-- requested by the Mackinac Center For Public Policy under the Michigan Freedom Of Information Act -- haven't been handed over. But that could soon change.

According to Mackinac, all three schools have begun the process of compliance with the FOIA request. TPM was able to confirm that's the case with one school, the University of Michigan. Despite a recent email from the president of that university to faculty touting a strong defense of academic freedom, a spokesperson told TPM Michigan law requires the school to push forward with collecting and vetting the emails before possibly turning them over to Mackinac.

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Pres '12

Gingrich Credits Wife Callista, Pope Benedict With Catholic Conversion

Eric Kleefeld | April 26, 2011, 5:56PM

Former Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-GA) and wife Callista Gingrich at the 2010 Kennedy Center Honors in Washington.

Former Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-GA), who is exploring a run for president, has written a guest piece in the National Catholic Register, explaining how it was that he, a former Southern Baptist, converted to Catholicism. As part of his journey, Gingrich largely credits the influence of his wife, Callista.

"I am often asked when I chose to become Catholic," Gingrich writes. "However, it is more truthful to say that over the course of several years I gradually became Catholic and then decided one day to accept the faith I had already come to embrace.

"My wife, Callista, is a lifelong Catholic and has been a member of the choir of the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C., for 15 years. Although I was Southern Baptist, I had attended Mass with Callista every Sunday at the basilica to watch her sing with the choir."

Gingrich married Callista, his third wife, in 2000, following a relationship between the two that began several years earlier during Gingrich's second marriage.

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Gas Prices

Obama's Targets GOP Divisions On Oil Subsidies

Susan Crabtree | April 26, 2011, 4:46PM

House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH), House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA), and other members of the GOP leadership

President Obama knows all too well what it's like to feel the wrath of rankling his base by embracing compromise with Republicans on one of their ideological positions. That's why he didn't hesitate when House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) appeared to open the door -- just a crack -- to the idea of ending payments to oil companies in an interview with ABC News released Monday afternoon.

Boehner's office spent all day dialing back the bosses' comments.

"We have pointed out for years that raising costs for energy producers will raise costs for consumers," Boehner spokesman Michael Steel told TPM. "And we want to 'take a look' at anything that lowers gas prices - but the President's proposal won't do that."

But the damage was already done and the rest of the GOP leadership team was forced to quickly putty over any cracks appearing on the surface -- real or perceived -- while Obama did his best to exploit any divisions.

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Douglas Holtz-Eakin

Holtz-Eakin: Congress Has To Raise The Debt Limit, Sooner Rather Than Later

Brian Beutler | April 26, 2011, 4:04PM

Former McCain campaign adviser Douglas Holtz-Eakin

The former director of the Congressional Budget Office, and chief economic policy adviser to John McCain during the 2008 presidential campaign, says Congress has to raise the debt limit, and soon.

"I think that ultimately Congress has to raise the debt limit," Doug Holtz-Eakin told me after moderating an event on Capitol Hill. "We have to be good stewards of the nation's credit rating [and] doing it sooner is better than later."

In an escalation of legislative brinksmanship over raising the debt limit, House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) told Politico Monday that he might not hold a vote on it at all, if he can't get buy-in from Democrats on serious spending cuts.

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John Boehner

Boehner: Republicans Voted To Turn Medicare Into Obamacare

Brian Beutler | April 26, 2011, 3:17PM

House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH)

Another top Republican has admitted what few members of his own party will admit. In fact, it's the toppest-Republican.

According to Speaker John Boehner, the House Republican budget, which passed on April 15, "transforms Medicare into a plan that's very similar to the President's own healthcare bill."

That's from an interview with ABC's Jon Karl. Boehner joins Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) as one of the few high-profile elected Republicans who will admit that the GOP's Medicare privatization plan is similar in many key respects to the health care law they have spent the last two years demonizing.

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Barack Obama

Obama to Boehner: Glad To Hear The Change Of Heart On Oil Subsidies

Evan McMorris-Santoro | April 26, 2011, 2:46PM

President Barack Obama

President Obama didn't wait to take advantage of what looked to be a new Republican position on federal oil and gas subsidies. In a letter sent to Congressional leaders on Tuesday, Obama welcomed House Speaker John Boehner's apparent newfound appreciation for the call to end taxpayer payments to oil companies, expressed in an interview with ABC News on Monday night.

"I was heartened that Speaker Boehner yesterday expressed openness to eliminating these tax subsidies for the oil and gas industry," Obama wrote. "Our political system has for too long avoided and ignored this important step, and I hope we can come together in a bipartisan manner to get it done."

Not so fast, Boehner's office said.

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2012

How Haley Barbour's Departure Affects The 2012 Field

Benjy Sarlin | April 26, 2011, 1:36PM

Gov. Haley Barbour (R-MS)

While many observers were skeptical of Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour's ability to capture the 2012 Republican presidential nomination, his decision not to run frees up an elite group of donors and operatives to find new homes and could leave a crucial bloc of voters up for grabs.

Barbour's campaign was considered a magnet for top quality staff and the remaining candidates will undoubtedly be reaching out to stranded politicos. Some already have ties to 2012 contenders while Barbours' close relationship with Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels (R) has led to speculation that an outsize number will join Daniels' campaign -- if he decides to run.

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Pres '12

RNC Chair Priebus Dismisses Birthers

Eric Kleefeld | April 26, 2011, 1:04PM

Reince Priebus, Chairman of the Republican National Committee

Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus is dismissing the birther phenomenon within his party's base -- a further sign that the Republican establishment is trying to put some distance between itself and the conspiracy theories still popular on the Tea Party right.

"Trump and the candidates can talk about it all they want, but my position is that the president was born in the United States," Priebus told reporters at a breakfast hosted by the Christian Science Monitor, CNN reports.

"I don't think it's an issue that moves voters," Priebus added. "It's an issue in my opinion that I don't personally get too excited about, because I think the more important question is what's going on in this country in regards to jobs, to debt, and the deficit and spending. Those are the things that people are worried about. People aren't worried about these other issues."

Wisconsin State Legislature

Wis. Dems To File Recall Petitions Against Sixth GOPer

Eric Kleefeld | April 26, 2011, 12:44PM

State Sen. Robert Cowles (R-WI)

Wisconsin Democrats are ready to file recall signatures against yet another Republican state Senator, in the battle over Gov. Scott Walker's anti-public employee union bill, with petitions targeting state Sen. Rob Cowles.

The Appleton Post Crescent reports:

The Committee to Recall Cowles has enough signatures to initiate the next phase of the process and will file them with the Government Accountability Board on Thursday, Graeme Zielinski, a spokesman for the Democratic Party of Wisconsin, said Monday.

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2012 Presidential Primaries

Poll: Trump, Huckabee Tied For GOP Prez Lead in West Virginia

Jon Terbush | April 26, 2011, 12:12PM

Former Gov. Mike Huckabee (R-AK) and Donald Trump

A Fox News host and an NBC reality television star are tied as the top choices for the Republican presidential nomination in West Virginia, according to a PPP poll of registered voters released on Tuesday.

In the survey, Trump and Huckabee easily led the rest of the GOP field at 24% each. Sarah Palin placed third with 13%, followed by Mitt Romney (11%) and Newt Gingrich (9%).

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Arizona

GOP Gov. Brewer Slams Birtherism As 'Leading Our Country Down A Path Of Destruction' (VIDEO)

Eric Kleefeld | April 26, 2011, 10:33AM

Gov. Jan Brewer (R-AZ)

Gov. Jan Brewer (R-AZ) appeared Monday night on CNN's John King, USA to discuss her recent veto of a "birther bill" -- a piece of legislation requiring candidates for public office to submit proof of U.S. citizenship to the state Secretary of State before they could appear on the state's ballot. And despite the issue's appeal to the GOP's Tea Party base, Brewer had nothing good to say about the bill.

"Well, you know, it seems to me that we have talked about this issue now going on probably two years, and that I believe that most people have reached out and they did their investigations, and it's become such a huge distraction," said Brewer. "I for one, I believe that what I have seen, and after speaking with governor -- or the prior governor of Hawaii -- that indeed he [Obama] was born in Hawaii.

"It's just something that I think is leading our country down a path of destruction, and it just is not serving any good purpose.

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Budget

First Dem Attack Ad Targets Candidate Who Claimed To Support GOP Budget (VIDEO)

Brian Beutler | April 26, 2011, 10:13AM

Kathy Hochul

A few Democrats might be vulnerable to attack ads based on their recent budget votes. But just about every Republican is stuck -- even one who isn't in Congress.

"Jane Corwin said she would vote for the 2012 Republican budget that would essentially end Medicare. Seniors would have to pay $6,400 more for the same coverage," the below ad says. "But the plan Jane Corwin supports would cut taxes for the wealthiest Americans."

Corwin is running against Kathy Hochul in the NY-26 special election to fill the seat vacated by former congressman and Craigslist philanderer Chris Lee. It's the first GOP budget ad paid for by a Democrat this cycle. The election's less than a month away, and will now be a barometer for the effectiveness of this line of attack

NRCC

NRCC Learns How To Attack Dems Over The Budget (AUDIO)

Brian Beutler | April 26, 2011, 9:27AM

Rep. Mike Ross (D-AR)

Just before the House adjourned, Rep. Mike Ross (D-AR) voted against the Congressional Black Caucus budget, the Congressional Progressive Caucus budget, the House Democratic budget, the Republican Study Committee Budget, and the House GOP Budget -- the only one of the five options on the table that passed.

That gives Republicans an opening to attack him for refusing to cut spending without mentioning that their own budget does extremely unpopular things -- like reducing deficits over the course of decades by unloading health care costs on to seniors.

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Mitt Romney

In Op-Ed Gaffe, Mitt Romney Criticizes Obama's 'Peacetime' Spending

Evan McMorris-Santoro | April 25, 2011, 6:46PM

Mitt Romney

Gov. Haley Barbour (R-MS) may have thought he'd be the 2012 newsmaker of the day with his decision not to seek the presidency. But it turns out a man who's very much in the race, Mitt Romney, may have upstaged him with a gaffe about America's military stance.

On Monday morning, Romney told readers of the Manchester, NH Union-Leader in an op-ed that Americans are living in a "peacetime" economy.

Six hours later, in the wake of withering criticism from progressives and veterans, Team Romney said the turn of phrase was a mistake.

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Oil

John Boehner: GOP Could Ditch Oil Subsidies

Benjy Sarlin | April 25, 2011, 6:10PM

House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH)

House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) told ABC News on Monday that he would be open to reevaluating billions of dollars in subsidies to oil companies that have enjoyed strong support from the GOP.

"It's certainly something we should be looking at," Boehner said. "We're in a time when the federal government's short on revenues. They ought to be paying their fair share."

Democrats have relentlessly attacked Republicans in recent months for supporting tax breaks and subsidies aimed at oil companies, contrasting the corporate aid with GOP proposals to drastically reduce long-term funding for Medicare and Medicaid. Boehner's small -- but significant -- step back from the traditional Republican position is a clear indicator that he senses political vulnerability as gas prices soar.

In addition to his new line on subsidies, Boehner went out of his way to take a dig at oil companies' profits in the interview.

"Everybody wants to go after the oil companies and, frankly, they've got some part of this to blame," he said, discussing rising oil prices.

Boehner cautioned that he wasn't ready to abandon support for subsidies just yet, saying he wanted to make sure he first studied "what impact this is going have on job creation here in America."

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Gay Marriage

Behind A Major Law Firm's Decision To Ditch Its Defense Of DOMA

Brian Beutler | April 25, 2011, 5:33PM

When the Atlanta-based law firm King & Spalding announced on April 18 that it would represent the Republican-controlled House of Representatives and defend the constitutionality of the Defense of Marriage Act, it apparently didn't realize what a mess it had made for itself.

Exactly one week later, the firm reversed its decision, prompting a high-profile partner -- former Solicitor General Paul Clement -- to resign publicly, and House Speaker John Boehner's staff to issue a statement criticizing the firm for "its careless disregard for its responsibilities to the House in this constitutional matter."

As public relations debacles go, this was a doozy. But the firm must have calculated that the alternative would have been worse. In the intervening week, a series of public and behind-the-scenes developments made it clear that the firm would suffer recriminations for defending what many of its top clients and future recruits -- not to mention gay rights advocates -- consider to be an anti-gay law.

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Jean Schmidt

House Ethics Office Launches Six New Probes

Susan Crabtree | April 25, 2011, 5:24PM

Rep. Jean Schmidt (R-OH)

The House's independent ethics office launched six new investigations of lawmakers' potential ethical misbehavior in this first quarter of the year.

The Office of Congressional Ethics released its end-of-quarter report Monday as required by law, noting that it had commenced six preliminary reviews and five secondary reviews of allegations already under investigation. It also voted to terminate one review.

The office does not release the names of lawmakers under scrutiny, but the name of one of the lawmakers, Rep. Jean Schmidt (R-Ohio), leaked earlier this year.

Read more »

Wisconsin Supreme Court

Wis. Supreme Court Recount To Begin Wednesday, Will Take Two Weeks

Eric Kleefeld | April 25, 2011, 5:16PM

Wisconsin Supreme Court candidate JoAnne Kloppenburg

The recount in the much-watched Wisconsin state Supreme Court race is set to begin on Wednesday, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports:

The recount will begin in all 72 counties at 9 a.m. Wednesday and under state law is to be completed by May 9. That tight timeline means the recounts may be conducted in some counties on weekends, said Mike Haas, an attorney for the Government Accountability Board.

The schedule was spelled out in a teleconference the accountability board held for county clerks. Nearly all of the 72 clerks participated, many of them with their staff and members of their local canvassing boards.

Liberal-backed challenger JoAnne Kloppenburg formally requested the recount last week, with incumbent conservative Justice David Prosser ahead by 7,316 votes, or 0.488%. This is within the 0.5% margin that entitled Kloppenburg to request a recount at state and local government expense -- and followed the controversial announcement by the county clerk in heavily Republican Waukesha County that she had discovered un-tabulated votes that were not properly added to the county's database, putting Prosser ahead after trailing in the initial numbers.

WI-07

Sean Duffy Gets First Opponent Of 2012 Cycle

Eric Kleefeld | April 25, 2011, 3:50PM

Rep. Sean Duffy (R-WI)

Freshman Rep. Sean Duffy (R-WI), who picked up a seat for the Republicans in the 2010 wave, now has his first declared challenger, with former Wisconsin state Sen. Pat Kreitlow launching his campaign.

Kreitlow was elected to the state Senate in the Democratic wave of 2006, after a news broadcasting career in western Wisconsin, defeating a Republican incumbent. He then lost his race for re-election in 2010.

Duffy was elected to Wisconsin's 7th District in 2010, after having served as a district attorney (and earlier starring on MTV's The Real World), winning the seat that Democratic Rep. David Obey had held for over 40 years until his retirement.

Recently, Duffy was the subject of high profile embarrassment when he publicly stated at a local event that he was "struggling" on his Congressional salary of $174,000 per year. The local Republicans then attempted to pull the video from the Internet -- which then led to Duffy's office complaining about TPM's surviving excerpt, saying it was selectively edited. Eventually, Duffy admitted that his words were "poorly chosen."

Haley Barbour

Haley Barbour Not Running For President: I Don't Have That 'Fire In The Belly'

Jillian Rayfield | April 25, 2011, 3:37PM

Gov. Haley Barbour (R-MS)

Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour (R) announced on Monday that he will not seek the presidency in 2012, saying that his supporters "deserve no less than absolute fire in the belly from their candidate. I cannot offer that with certainty, and total certainty is required."

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Syria

U.S. Considering Targeted Syria Sanctions

Susan Crabtree | April 25, 2011, 2:27PM

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad

The Obama administration is weighing targeted sanctions against Syrian President Bashar Assad and his regime for their increasingly violent backlash against anti-government protesters.

White House spokesman Jay Carney said Monday that targeted sanctions is one way to turn up the heat on Assad and convince him to allow protesters to air their grievances against the government without fearing for their lives.

"We are considering targeted sanctions to respond to the crackdown in Syria," Carney told reporters at a Monday briefing as the administration stepped up its denunciations of the Syrian government. "We're looking at other means to increase the pressure on Syria in a meaningful way."

Read more »

Recall

Walker: Too Many Recalls 'Makes It Very Hard' To Get Things Done

Eric Kleefeld | April 25, 2011, 12:31PM

Gov. Scott Walker (R-WI)

Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker (R) is criticizing the wave of recalls in his state, which are taking place in the wake of the controversial passage of his anti-public employee union legislation.

Wisconsin Radio Network reported on Friday:

Walker says in the past lawmakers have faced recall elections after instances of misconduct in office and not over a single vote.

"At some point if you have a recall after every vote, you could have those continuously, one-after-another-after-another and it makes it very hard in a Republic for things to get done."

In fact, as an article from the State Bar of Wisconsin indicates, the four legislative recall elections that taken have place in Wisconsin history were mostly motivated by politics. (Interestingly, one of the recalls was in 1990, against Democratic state Rep. Jim Holperin, who won the election and stayed in office -- and who is now a state senator targeted for recall again.)

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Donald Trump

Veteran GOP Pollster Declines Offer To Join Trump Team

Melissa Jeltsen | April 25, 2011, 12:27PM

Donald Trump

Tony Fabrizio, a long-time Republican pollster and strategist, has turned down Donald Trump on his very public offer to have him join his potential 2012 presidential bid, if and when he decides to run.

According to an email sent from Fabrizio to Trump, and obtained by The Daily Caller, Fabrizio spent the weekend mulling the possibility of working with "The Donald" and ultimately decided against it.

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Scott Walker

Poll: Russ Feingold Ties Gov. Scott Walker In Hypothetical Wisconsin Recall

Jon Terbush | April 25, 2011, 12:23PM

Russ Feingold and Gov. Scott Walker (R-WI)

A slim majority of Wisconsin voters don't support the idea of a recall election to oust Gov. Scott Walker (R), according to a new poll. That is, unless Russ Feingold is offered up as the challenger who could replace Walker in just such an election.

In a poll of registered voters conducted by Ethridge & Associates, 51% of respondents said they oppose recalling Walker, compared to 44% who said they supported doing so. However, a recall election would not be just a choice of keeping or booting Walker, but would pit Walker against a Democratic challenger. To test that dynamic, Ethridge paired Walker with progressive favorite former Sen. Russ Feingold, and found the two tied at 48%.

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Donald Trump

Is Donald Trump's Media Blitz Wrecking The Apprentice's Ratings?

Benjy Sarlin | April 25, 2011, 10:37AM

Ratings for Donald Trump's NBC series The Apprentice have sagged the last couple of weeks, prompting a wave of speculation among the pundit class that his birther crusade is turning off the show's viewership. In fact, his viewership has fluctuated wildly over the past several years, making such pronouncements premature.

"Yes, the numbers were down, but I don't see this as a trend at all," Patricia Phalen, a professor of media and public affairs at George Washington University, told TPM. "There could be any number of factors influencing a decline, if that is really what's happening. For one thing, it's April, and people are more likely to be out. For another, the content of any particular program could be less attractive for the viewer. I happen to be an Apprentice fan, and the latest episode was very, very predictable."

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Health Care

Supreme Court Denies Health Care Opponents' Fast Track Request

Evan McMorris-Santoro | April 25, 2011, 10:21AM

VA Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli

The Supreme Court has decided not to make history by bumping Virginia's crusade against the new national health care law to the front of the legal line.

The ruling -- denying a request from Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli to "fast track" appeals of his state's lawsuit calling the health care law's insurance mandate unconstitutional -- is not unusual, but it does mean opponents of the law will have to wait their turn before getting a chance to kill the law in the nation's highest court.

Had Cuccinelli gotten his way, federal appeals of the lawsuit, which succeeded at the district level, would have gone straight to the Supreme Court. But as the AP reports, that was a long-shot bet:

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Michigan

GOP State Senator Tries, Fails To Force Poor Kids To Shop At Thrift Stores

Evan McMorris-Santoro | April 25, 2011, 9:10AM

State Sen. Bruce Caswell (R-MI)

Michigan state Sen. Bruce Caswell (R) suggested that children in the state on public assistance be forced to spend their annual clothing allowance at thrift stores, lest the $80 allocated to them every year go to something other than new duds.

In the end, he didn't get what he wanted. But he was able to make sure that $80 will go to clothes and nothing but -- and that people who use the state's Bridge Card electronic benefit system have to go through an extra step before buying clothes for children in their care.

The Republican acknowledges that neither plan would save the economically-listing Michigan a dime. Caswell says he just wants to make sure welfare money is spent on what it's supposed to be spent on.

Caswell's original plan -- which would have made clothing allowance funds redeemable only at thrift stores like Goodwill -- kicked up some ire among progressives in Michigan and around the country. But Caswell told Michigan Public Media that there's nothing wrong with wearing old clothes.

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Medicare

Significant New Progressive Ad Campaign Targets Republicans For Voting To End Medicare (VIDEO)

Brian Beutler | April 24, 2011, 5:00PM

In a significant escalation of the progressive campaign to make Republicans pay a political price for voting to end Medicare, the progressive advocacy group Americans United for Change will run broadcast TV ads in the districts of Reps. Steve King (R-IA), Sean Duffy (R-WI), Chip Cravaack (R-MN), and Paul Ryan (R-WI).

"What are House Republicans thinking asking millions of seniors, the less fortunate and the disabled to make more sacrifices and the richest among us to make less," says AUC executive Tom McMahon in a statement.

If Republicans have their way, there would be no more guaranteed Medicare benefits for America's seniors, only a guarantee of paying more and more out of pocket for less care after being left to the mercy to the private insurance industry. There would only be a guarantee that millions of Americans would lose their jobs - only a guarantee that America's poor and disabled will live sicker and die younger while millionaires get another tax break they don't need and the nation cannot afford. This is not a path to prosperity, only a path to bankrupting seniors so Paris Hilton and BP can have another tax break. And there's nothing courageous about that.

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