Newt Gingrich

In Absentia, Newt Gingrich Tries To Woo Social Conservative Crowd

Evan McMorris-Santoro | June 4, 2011, 9:07PM

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-GA)

Newt Gingrich isn't appearing at the Faith and Freedom Conference in DC this weekend. He's pretty much the only Republican candidate for President who isn't. But as the event drew to a close Saturday night, he tried to make his case to the social conservative voters gathered here anyway.

Via a prerecorded video address, Gingrich stressed his connection with social conservatives, and promised that he understood the fight they face ahead.

Read more »

Herman Cain

Herman Cain: Bachmann's FFC Prayer 'The Ultimate Pander'

Evan McMorris-Santoro | June 4, 2011, 7:40PM

Herman Cain

Don't expect Herman Cain to include a prayer in his keynote speech before the Faith And Family Conference in Washington tonight. After an interview with TPM Saturday, the ascendant Republican presidential candidate said the public prayer Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN) included in her speech was "the ultimate pander."

After our interview, Cain asked me about the other candidate speeches I've seen covering FFC this year. There was no indication that Cain had seen them. I mentioned that Bachmann had highlighted her remarks with a prayer -- she led the crowd in a long, politically-tinged prayer ending in "Amen" at the end of her remarks Friday.

Read more »

Rick Santorum

Rick Santorum: Obama's Support For Entitlements Shows He Doesn't Believe America Is Exceptional

Evan McMorris-Santoro | June 4, 2011, 11:57AM

Former Sen. Rick Santorum (R-PA)

Rick Santorum has a message for President Obama: Despite what you may think, America was pretty awesome before the mid-60s.

Santorum is one of two presidential candidates speaking during the Saturday sessions at the Faith and Freedom Conference in downtown DC. At home before the social conservative crowd today, he offered up a ripping speech that touched on his long history as a national culture warrior.

As is so often the case in a Santorum address -- or a speech by virtually all of the Republicans in contention for the presidential nomination these days -- the subject of American exceptionalism came up. Sanoturm has woven this into his foreign policy speeches before, but today he raised the idea in the context of the entitlement fight.

Read more »

Mitt Romney

Mitt Romney: President Obama, The Jobless Are Not A 'Bump In The Road'

Evan McMorris-Santoro | June 3, 2011, 9:42PM

Mitt Romney

Mitt Romney, the presumptive frontrunner for the Republican presidential nomination next year, made his speech at the Faith and Freedom Conference Friday night all about jobs.

Romney was one of the few speakers to mention Friday's jobs report, and he wielded it like a cleaver to attack President Obama before a rapt audience in downtown DC.

"Hear what he said today?" Romney asked the crowd. He criticized Obama for calling the unexpectedly high jobless numbers "bumps on the road to recovery" in an Ohio speech earlier in the day.

"No, Mr. President, that's not a bump," Romney said. "That's Americans."

Read more »

Donald Trump

Donald Trump Takes On Eric Cantor Over Joplin Relief

Evan McMorris-Santoro | June 3, 2011, 8:12PM

Donald Trump stopped by the Faith and Family Conference Friday evening to drop more hints about an independent run for the White House, while questioning the veracity of President Obama's longform birth certificate and taking on GOP leadership over its approach to disaster relief funds.

"Representative [Eric] Cantor, who I like, said we don't want to give money to the tornado victims," Trump said. "And yet in Afghanistan we're spending $10 billion a month. But we don't want to help the people that got devastated by tornadoes. Wiped out, killed, maimed, injured -- we don't have money for them but we're spending $10 billion a month in Afghanistan."

Read more »

Faith & Freedom Conference

Donald Trump: I Could Win The Presidency As An Independent

Benjy Sarlin | June 3, 2011, 7:36PM

So much for dropping out -- Donald Trump tells TPM he believes he can win the White House as an independent candidate, keeping his name in the presidential game despite declaring last month he would not run for the GOP nomination.

TPM caught up with Trump at the Faith & Freedom Conventionm after he left a closed door meeting with event organizer Ralph Reed and other social conservatives and asked how he figured he'd do as an independent.

"I think I'd do great," he said, telling TPM he believed he could win the White House. As for whether he'll run, he said it depended on the GOP nominee.

"Let's see what happens with the Republicans, who they put up," he said.

Asked if he was consulting with pollsters on a run, he said "I was leading in the polls when I decided to sign a very big contract -- I was actually leading."

Polls actually showed his support among Republicans imploding right before he announced he was dropping out, but Trump's reopened the door to a presidential conversation recently anyway. As with his flirtation with the GOP primary, he'd have to give up his show to enter the race.

Trump received a warm reaction from the crowd for his speech, in which he slammed Minority Leader Eric Cantor for demanding spending offsets for disaster relief in Joplin, MO and suggested Obama's birth certificate was forged.

Medicare

PCCC Ad On Medicare Not Getting Pulled, Despite NRCC Complaints

Eric Kleefeld | June 3, 2011, 6:15PM

The liberal Progressive Change Campaign Committee has won a round against the National Republican Congressional Committee -- with the liberal group turning back an effort to get an ad targeting Republican proposals on Medicare pulled from broadcast.

As Greg Sargent reported, the NRCC wrote a letter to WMUR in New Hampshire and Comcast, complaining that a PCCC ad attacking Rep. Charlie Bass (R-NH) for having "voted to end Medicare" was false and demanding that it be taken down.

Read more »

Mitt Romney

Chrysler CEO: On Bailouts, Romney Was 'Smoking Illegal Material'

Eric Lach | June 3, 2011, 6:14PM

Mitt Romney

CNN Money brought up Mitt Romney's 2008 New York Times op-ed arguing against bailouts for auto companies during an interview Friday with Fiat-Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne.

When asked whether his company "could have stood on its own two feet and come back without this government money?" Marchionne responded:

Read more »

Medicare

Democrats Break Down Impact Of GOP Medicare Plan District By District

Evan McMorris-Santoro | June 3, 2011, 5:04PM

Rep. Henry A. Waxman (D-CA)

House Democrats have broken down the massive changes to Medicare and Medicaid proposed by the House GOP into a convenient take home size.

Democratic Reps. Henry Waxman (CA) and Frank Pallone (NJ), voters can now see what Democrats say is the direct impact of the Republican plan to turn Medicare into a voucher system on every congressional district in the country.

Waxman and Pallone have set up an interactive map that allows viewers to pop open a report on the impact of the Medicare change on the population in their community.

Read more »

Pres '12

Romney: 'I Believe The World Is Getting Warmer' And Humans Partly Responsible

Eric Kleefeld | June 3, 2011, 4:55PM

Former Gov. Mitt Romney (R-MA)

Forget the individual mandate. Mitt Romney is now breaking with the Republican base on yet another issue. On Friday at a town hall in New Hampshire, Romney told the crowd he accepted the scientific conclusion that global warming is happening, and that man-made emissions are a factor.

Reuters reports:

"I believe the world is getting warmer, and I believe that humans have contributed to that," he told a crowd of about 200 at a town hall meeting in Manchester, New Hampshire.

"It's important for us to reduce our emissions of pollutants and greenhouse gases that may be significant contributors."

Read more »

Libya

House Rebukes Obama's Handling Of Libya

Benjy Sarlin | June 3, 2011, 4:34PM

The House issued a rebuke to President Obama over his handling of the Libya conflict, passing a Republican resolution with bipartisan support demanding he justify US intervention and provide Congress with more information. A tougher resolution from Dennis Kucinich (D-OH) that would have called on US to withdraw entirely failed in a separate vote.

Read more »

Sarah Palin

Sarah Palin Offers Novel Take On Paul Revere's Ride (VIDEO)

Eric Lach | June 3, 2011, 3:29PM

Sarah Palin

Listen, my children, and you shall hear
Of the midnight ride of Paul Revere,
Who made sure as he's riding his horse
through town, to send those
warning shots and bells
that we were going to be secure
and we were going to be free.

Read more »

George Allen

George Allen Offers Emotional Apology For Macaca Incident

Evan McMorris-Santoro | June 3, 2011, 1:34PM

Former Sen. George Allen (R-VA)

George Allen is really sorry about that macaca thing. Five years after he threw the slur at a Democratic tracker during the 2006 Senate campaign, Allen offered a long and emotional apology to a small crowd at the Faith and Family Conference.

"During our last campaign, I never should have singled out that young man working for my opponent calling him a name," said Allen, who's running again for the seat he lost in 2006. "He was just doing his job."

Read more »

Eric Cantor: Palestinian Culture 'Filled With Resentment And Hatred' Is Behind Israeli Conflict

Benjy Sarlin | June 3, 2011, 1:06PM

House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA)

Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA) blamed the decades-long Israeli-Palestinian conflict on a violent and resentful culture among Palestinians and the broader Arab world, condemning President Obama's call for new peace negotiations in a speech to the Faith & Freedom Conference on Friday.

Cantor recounted a story for the audience about a Palestinian woman from Gaza who was treated for injuries in a hospital in the Israeli city of Beer Sheva, only to return later as a would-be suicide bomber in a failed terrorist attack.

"You got to ask what type of culture leads one to do that?" he said. "Sadly it's a culture filled with resentment and hatred. It is that culture that underlies the Palestinians' and broader Arab world's refusal to accept Israel's right to exist, and this is the root of the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians."

He added: "It's not about the 1967 lines," a dig at President Obama's position that Israel and the Palestinians should base negotiations on 1967 borders, with any changes based on mutually agreed land swaps.

Faith & Freedom Conference

Haley Barbour Rejects House GOP's Disaster Relief Position

Benjy Sarlin | June 3, 2011, 12:16PM

In a rebuke to House GOP leaders, Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour told reporters on Friday that Congress should authorize disaster relief funds even if they are not offset with spending cuts. Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA) has said that the emergency funds to help Missouri residents affected by deadly tornadoes should be paid for with cuts elsewhere, a break from recent precedent.

"No," Barbour said when asked if he agreed with Cantor. "I think disaster relief is not predictable. Emergencies caused by tornadoes, hurricanes are not predictable. Even if Congress, which as far as I know they never have, set aside a pot of money, as some have proposed, and said, 'Okay, here's this money we're going to use to pay for disaster relief' -- if they were to do that and we had a gigantic disaster that cost much more than that, surely Congress would go back and appropriate the extra money. And if they didn't have a place to offset it, they should still go in and do it."

Mississippi has been hit hard in recent years by hurricanes and floods, most notably Hurricane Katrina, and was also affected by the BP oil spill off the Gulf Coast. Barbour told reporters on Friday, however, that he believed President Obama's moratorium on drilling permits was more damaging to his state than the spill.

A spokesman for Cantor noted to TPM that there were instances under the Republican Congresses of the 1990s in which disaster relief was offset elsewhere, including supplemental assistance to Oklahoma City in the wake of a terrorist attack by Timothy McVeigh.

This story has been updated.

Jon Huntsman

Huntsman To Social Conservatives: I Am One Of You

Evan McMorris-Santoro | June 3, 2011, 11:59AM

Jon Huntsman

Former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman just finished speaking at the Faith and Freedom Conference in Washington, and his message to the social conservatives in the crowd was clear: I am one of you.

This is something of a tough sell for Huntsman, who is best known on the national scene as a moderate and stands out from the Republican presidential pack for his support of gay civil unions. Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN) and other speakers this morning got big applause by talking about "traditional marriage," but Huntsman understandably stayed away from the topic.

Instead, he tried to sell himself as one of the nation's leading opponents of abortion. That's another favorite topic here, and the kind of thing Huntsman needs to be known for if he wants to win over wary conservative primary voters.

Read more »

Faith & Freedom Conference

Haley Barbour: Don't Hold GOP 2012 Candidates To Purity Test -- Even On Taxes

Benjy Sarlin | June 3, 2011, 11:23AM

Speaking at the Faith & Freedom Conference in Washington, Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour warned Republican voters on Friday that they could not afford to apply strict purity tests to their presidential candidates, many of whom have raised hackles in conservative circles for various departures from the party line. Wading into very dangerous waters, he told reporters that even increasing taxes -- the ultimate Republican heresy -- should not be a dealbreaker.

Speaking at the Faith & Freedom Conference in Washington, Barbour told the audience of social conservatives that they "can't expert [the nominee] to be pure."

Read more »

Faith & Freedom Conference

Paul Ryan, Who Supported Auto Bailout And TARP, Says Government Shouldn't Pick Winners

Benjy Sarlin | June 3, 2011, 10:37AM

Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI)

House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan (R-WI) warned at Friday's Faith and Freedom Conference that the government needed to remove itself from the free market.

In a well-received speech, he offered his prescription for recovery: "Pay off the debt, keep our tax rates low and stable and predictable, stop picking winners and losers in Washington through the regulatory system, and get the system under control so we can flourish."

The line about picking winners and losers is a bit bold coming from one of the few Republicans who voted for the two most critical recent government interventions in the free market: TARP and the auto bailout.

Ryan recently defended TARP as a necessary measure to prevent an economic collapse in a major speech on his budget. His vote on the auto bailout comes up less often, but he told The Daily Beast in 2010 that he believed President Obama would have used TARP funds with less Congressional oversight to rescue the industry if the bill had not passed.

New Hampshire Primary

New Hampshire's Biggest Paper Puts Romney Announcement Below Palin Tour

Eric Kleefeld | June 3, 2011, 10:32AM

If Mitt Romney was looking for huge headlines from his Thursday campaign launch in New Hampshire...well, he might have reason to be a bit disappointed.

Friday's front page of the New Hampshire Union Leader, the state's largest newspaper, has Romney's launch seriously overshadowed by two other events: The death of former Gov. Walter Peterson (R) -- and Sarah Palin's tour of the state. The latter was given the banner headline just above the fold, "Palin Hits The Seacoast," plus a large photo of Palin and her daughter Piper.

By comparison, Romney's kickoff was reduced to a mere inset photo within text of the Palin piece, and a small headline, "Romney Announces."

The caption text: "INSIDE: Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney announces his presidential candidacy Thursday in Stratham. Story, Page A3."

Read more »

Faith & Freedom Conference

Paul Ryan Confronted By Bible-Wielding Protester Decrying Ayn Rand

Benjy Sarlin | June 3, 2011, 9:58AM

Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI)

Paul Ryan was chased by a protester waving a giant Bible and decrying libertarian author Ayn Rand on his way out of the Faith and Freedom Conference, a social conservative gathering in DC where he delivered a speech on his budget.

"Why did you choose to model your budget on the extreme ideology of Ayn Rand rather than the faith of economic justice in the Bible?" the blond, 20-something male asked. He said he wanted to "present" Ryan with a Bible to teach him how to help the "most vulnerable."

Ryan talked to reporters briefly and signed autographs for fans, largely ignoring the protester.

The Congressman never mentioned Rand in his speech, who he has cited as a hero in the past, but did discuss his faith and its connection to American government.

"Our rights our not given to us from government, our rights are given to us naturally, given by God," he said, adding that "applying these principles" is what keeps America from entering decline each generation.

Faith & Freedom Conference

Ralph Reed: 'Prayerfully,' Faithful Are Going To Win 2012

Evan McMorris-Santoro | June 3, 2011, 9:40AM

Ralph Reed

Ralph Reed just kicked off the Faith and Freedom Conference in DC with a rousing speech that didn't mention this morning's job numbers or much about the economy at all.

Such is the stuff of FFC, where the focus is on faith and social conservatism. Reed called the event an "NFL mini-camp" for conservatives, where the focus will be on boosting turnout among the social right. Reed pushed breakout sessions focused on reaching out to "non-traditional conservatives" in the Latino, Asian American, African American and Indian American communities.

It will be the faith community, Reed said, that will seal the fate of President Obama and the Democrats next fall.

Read more »

Libya

Boehner Offers Own Libya Resolution To Head Off Kucinich's Anti-War Bill

Benjy Sarlin | June 3, 2011, 9:12AM

Seeking to head off a growing revolt in the GOP against America's involvement in Libya, Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) is offering a resolution demanding the White House not deploy ground troops in the country.

The resolution states that President Obama "has failed to provide Congress with a compelling rationale based upon United States national security interests for current United States military activities regarding Libya" and requests detailed information from the White House on the mission.The legislation is intended to head off more aggressively worded resolutions by lawmakers like Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-OH), which demand a withdrawal of US forces.

Kucinich's resolution was scheduled for a vote on Wednesday, but House leaders pulled it at the last second when they became concerned it had enough Republican votes to pass. Boehner told reporters on Thursday that rank and file Republicans were concerned not only with the Libya conflict, but Afghanistan and Iraq as well.

Read more »

Gay Marriage

Poll Shows Most NYers Support Gay Marriage -- Push To Legalize Could Come Down To Eight State Sens.

Jillian Rayfield | June 3, 2011, 8:55AM

Polls show the majority of New Yorkers have made up their minds that the state should legalize gay marriage, but ultimately the fight will likely come down to eight state Senators who are still undecided.

Read more »

Faith & Freedom Conference

Presidential Contenders, Top GOPers Roll Into DC To Kiss Ralph Reed's Ring

Evan McMorris-Santoro | June 3, 2011, 8:32AM

Ralph Reed

With all the talk of fiscal austerity and entitlement reform dominating these early months of the 2012 presidential cycle, it can be easy to forget that the Republican party is still the home to America's social conservatives. Though it may be on the backburner of the presidential race for the moment, the culture war is alive and well in many Republican circles.

This weekend it gets its due. Nearly all the men and women running for the Republican presidential nomination and a good portion of the party's top leadership will be on hand for the Faith And Freedom Conference, a social conservative confab organized by former Christian Coalition head Ralph Reed.

Read more »

House Democrats

Democrats Emerge From White House Meeting Determined Not To Cave On Medicare, Taxes

Susan Crabtree | June 2, 2011, 6:28PM

House Democrats emerged from a White House meeting with President Obama confident that the GOP Medicare plan has Republicans on the ropes and more determined than ever to ensure that tax increases on the wealthiest Americans are included in any long-term debt-reduction package.

Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) said the meeting was "very productive" and a "great exchange of ideas."

Read more »

2012 Presidential Primaries

Bachmann To Join GOP Debate In New Hampshire On June 13

Eric Kleefeld | June 2, 2011, 6:23PM

Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN)

Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN) has yet to officially launch an increasingly expected presidential campaign -- but she is now set to take part in a Republican candidates' debate in New Hampshire, the surest sign yet that she is getting in.

Bachmann aide Andy Parrish, who is leaving as her Capitol Hill chief of staff to take an unspecified new position with her (it is believed that he will be her campaign manager) told the Associated Press that Bachmann will be on stage at the June 13 debate in Manchester, New Hampshire.

This debate would be Bachmann's first presidential debate -- and also put her on stage alongside her fellow Minnesotan, former Gov. Tim Pawlenty, among the other candidates.

Bachmann has said she will announce her plans this month in Waterloo, Iowa, the town where she was born. It is hard to imagine a politician putting together a big rally in Iowa, only to deliver a speech announcing that they were not running.

Debt Ceiling

Moody's To U.S.: We'll Downgrade Credit Rating If No Deal on Debt Ceiling By Mid-July

Benjy Sarlin | June 2, 2011, 5:07PM

House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) and Sen. Harry Reid (R-NV)

Moody's Investment Service will likely downgrade America's credit rating if Congress can't reach agreement on a debt ceiling increase by mid-July, the firm said in a statement Thursday.

The major credit rating firm warned that political bickering has gotten out of hand and that they were concerned the two parties' may not reach a deal before the country defaulted on its obligations, which the Treasury Department warns will occur in early August, setting off a financial crisis.

"Although Moody's fully expected political wrangling prior to an increase in the statutory debt limit, the degree of entrenchment into conflicting positions has exceeded expectations," the statement read. "The heightened polarization over the debt limit has increased the odds of a short-lived default. If this situation remains unchanged in coming weeks, Moody's will place the rating under review."

Read more »

Mitt Romney

Romney To America: Sorry That Obama Thing Didn't Work Out; I'm Here For You Now

Evan McMorris-Santoro | June 2, 2011, 4:25PM

America, Mitt Romney understands why you did what you did in 2008. And he's not here to judge -- just help you clean up the mess.

In his campaign kickoff speech in New Hampshire today, Romney sounded like a passive-aggressive ex-boyfriend ready to take the country back after it briefly ran off with the hot new guy in school.

"A few years ago, Americans did something that was, actually, very much the sort of thing Americans like to do," Romney said. "We gave someone new a chance to lead; someone we hadn't known for very long, who didn't have much of a record but promised to lead us to a better place."

Read more »

Barack Obama

Frank: White House Should Use Recess Appointment To Overcome Sexist Opposition To Warren

Ryan J. Reilly | June 2, 2011, 3:35PM

Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA) and Elizabeth Warren

The White House will use President Barack Obama's recess appointment powers to name Prof. Elizabeth Warren head of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau if that is their only option, Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA) said Thursday.

Read more »

2012 Presidential Primaries

Poll: Palin, Romney Tied For GOP Lead, But Others Close Behind

Jon Terbush | June 2, 2011, 1:18PM

Former Gov. Sarah Palin (R-AK) and former Gov. Mitt Romney (R-MA)

Mitt Romney and Sarah Palin continued their run at the top of GOP primary field nationally, according to a new PPP poll of registered voters released Thursday. But now that some other big-name Republicans have taken themselves out of the contest, a few candidates with lower profiles have suddenly -- and significantly -- closed the gap between themselves and the frontrunners.

In the poll, Palin and Romney tied for the lead at 16%. However, Tim Pawlenty (13%) and Herman Cain (12%) both polled within the survey's 4.1% margin of error.

Read more »

Wisconsin

Feingold On Senate Or Gov Bid: 'I'm Looking At It'

Eric Kleefeld | June 2, 2011, 12:47PM

Former Sen. Russ Feingold (D-WI)

Former Sen. Russ Feingold (D-WI), who was defeated for re-election after three terms in the 2010 Republican wave, now says he is considering a possible comeback bid for the state's other Senate seat, from which Democratic Sen. Herb Kohl is retiring in 2012.

"I am looking at it, but I feel I should take some time to think this through," Feingold told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. "For me the question right now is whether it's a good idea for me to go back into this sort of life."

Feingold said he would decide by Labor Day.

A recent survey from Public Policy Polling (D) found that Feingold would likely have a solid lock on the Democratic nomination, giving him a lead of 70%-12% over Rep. Tammy Baldwin, who is also considering a run. (Without Feingold in the race, Baldwin would start out with a plurality over a field of several other Democrats.)

Read more »

Medicare

Progressives Take Medicare Fight To NH Republican (VIDEO)

Evan McMorris-Santoro | June 2, 2011, 12:23PM

Rep. Charlie Bass (R-NH) has become the latest Republican to face his vote for Medicare-ending House budget in the form of a TV ad. In the first major ad buy since Democrats used the issue to pull off a surprise win in the NY-26 special election, progressives are targeting Bass over his vote for Rep. Paul Ryan's (R-WI) budget plan, which eliminates Medicare and replaces it with a voucher system.

The Progressive Change Campaign Committee and Democracy For America say they hope to do significant damage to Bass, as well as bolster their choice to replace him, Ann Kuster. She's the progressive star who barely lost to Bass in 2010 after defeating Sen. Joe Lieberman's presidential campaign chair for the Democratic nomination. Kuster's running again this year.

Read more »

Bob Bauer

Bauer Out As White House Counsel, Obama Names Ruemmler As Successor

Susan Crabtree | June 2, 2011, 12:05PM

Kathryn Ruemmler

White House counsel and veteran Democratic attorney Bob Bauer is heading back to private practice and to serve as the top lawyer for the President's re-election campaign at the end of July and will be replaced by his deputy, Kathryn Ruemmler, according to an administration release.

While Bauer will return to private practice at Perkins Coie, he will serve as general counsel to the President's reelection campaign, general counsel to the Democratic National Committee, and personal lawyer to President Obama.

Read more »

Dennis Kucinich

Speaker Boehner Concedes GOP Is Conflicted On Libya After Abruptly Pulling Anti-War Resolution

Benjy Sarlin | June 2, 2011, 11:46AM

House Republicans will huddle on Thursday to discuss their members' position on Libya a day after unexpectedly withdrawing a resolution disapproving of the conflict. Speaker John Boehner conceded to reporters that many House Republicans are concerned by the military operation and called on President Obama to "step up" his explanations for the conflict.

On Wednesday schedulers abruptly canceled a vote on a resolution calling on the US to withdraw all forces from the conflict. The measure's sponsor, Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-OH), told reporters he believed House leaders pulled the legislation after realizing it might succeed with Republican backing.

"They changed their mind," he said after it was withdrawn on Wednesday. "They felt, well, it's going to pass."

Read more »

Wisconsin State Legislature

Tape: Wis. GOPers Sought Spoiler Candidates Against Dems For Senate Recalls

Eric Kleefeld | June 2, 2011, 11:20AM

State Sen. Dan Kapanke (R-WI)

Wisconsin Republicans now have another mess to deal with in the state Senate recalls: Reports of a taped conversation in which a county GOP official is apparently heard discussing the possibility of recruiting spoiler candidates to mess with the Democrats.

The La Crosse Tribune reports on a meeting last week of Republicans in La Crosse County, in the western Wisconsin district of GOP state Sen. Dan Kapanke, who is being challenged by Dem state Rep. Jennifer Shilling:

On the recording obtained by the Tribune, party vice chairman Julian Bradley says he just spoke with Mark Jefferson, executive director of the state GOP, and "we are actively keeping our ears to the ground and if anybody knows anybody for a candidate that would be interested on the Democratic side in running in the primary against Jennifer Shilling.... So if anybody knows any Democrats who would be interested, please let us know."

...

Should a primary be necessary, the general election would be pushed back, according to scenarios proposed by the Government Accountability Board.

That, Bradley said on the tape, "would give the state senator an extra month to campaign in. The opposition would obviously have to spend more time and more money."

Read more »

Pres '12

Palin: New Hampshire Visit At Same Time As Romney Announcement 'Coincidental'

Eric Kleefeld | June 2, 2011, 10:25AM

Former Gov. Sarah Palin (R-AK) and former Gov. Mitt Romney (R-MA)

Sarah Palin's bus tour is making an appearance today in New Hampshire -- the same day that Mitt Romney is officially announcing his presidential campaign in the state, and in fact she'll only be a few minutes' travel away from him. But as she says, it's just a coincidence.

CNN reports:

"I think that's exciting for him, that's great for him," Palin told reporters at her Boston hotel before touring historical sites along the city's Freedom Trail. "It's coincidental that we are in the same territory at the same time, but more power to Mitt as he mounts his campaign and best of luck to him."

News leaked late yesterday that Palin is organizing a clambake for Thursday evening along the New Hampshire seacoast, just minutes from the Stratham farm where Romney plans to officially announce his second presidential bid.

2012

Newt Gingrich: Help Me Rescue The Ryan Plan From 'Mediscare 3.' Also, My DVD Is On Sale

Benjy Sarlin | June 2, 2011, 10:13AM

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-GA)

Newt Gingrich, fading fast in polls of the GOP field, is making support for Paul Ryan's budget -- which he once dubbed "right wing social engineering" -- his top cause.

In a letter sent out by Human Events on Wednesday, Gingrich asked Republicans to help him defeat "Mediscare 3," a an effort by Democrats to "divide Republicans and to lie about our efforts to save both Medicare and America from fiscal collapse." He also used the occasion to announce a sale on his line of DVDs, part of a bustling collection of businesses dubbed Newt Inc.

"For the third time in my public life the Democrats are once again using falsehoods to try to frighten the American people about Republicans and Medicare solutions," Gingrich wrote in his op-ed. "Think of this as 'Mediscare 3,' a bad sequel to two bad failures."

Read more »

Mitt Romney

Romney: America 'Inches Away From Ceasing To Be A Free Market Economy'

Evan McMorris-Santoro | June 2, 2011, 9:48AM

Former Gov. Mitt Romney (R-MA)

Mitt Romney is kicking off his second presidential campaign later on Thursday, and -- according to published excerpts from the afternoon's big speech -- he'll do it with a healthy dose of fear-the-coming-socialist-tide rhetoric.

"We are only inches away from ceasing to be a free market economy," Romney will say in his New Hampshire speech, according to prepared remarks.

Excerpts of the address tease a speech that seeks to paint President Obama's America as leaning dangerously away from core capitalist principles.

Read more »

2012

Obama Campaign Aims For $60 Million In Fundraising This Quarter

Benjy Sarlin | June 2, 2011, 9:32AM

President Obama's re-election campaign, looking to build up strength while the GOP field fights for the nomination, is planning to raise at least $60 million in the next quarter. The money would include both donations to Obama's own campaign as well as to the Democratic National Committee.

Top Democratic officials and donors discussed the goal in a meeting in downtown Washington on Wednesday, according to Reuters, part of a broader plan to raise $750 million before election day. Some observers have suggested the campaign could cross the $1 billion mark.

Read more »

Elizabeth Warren

Number Of Democrats Calling For Warren Recess Appointment More Than Doubles

Evan McMorris-Santoro | June 2, 2011, 8:48AM

Chair of the Congressional Oversight Panel created to oversee the expenditure of TARP, Elizabeth Warren.

As Republicans have stepped up their attempts to prevent Elizabeth Warren's confirmation as head of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, Democrats and progressives are building steam behind their call for President Obama to go around the GOP's obstruction.

In the past week, the number of Democratic lawmakers who have signed a letter calling on Obama to use his recess appointment powers to install Warren at the head of the newly-created CFPB has more than doubled from the 36 who were on the list last week.

The formal announcement of the new number of signatories -- which is expected to include some members of House Democratic leadership -- will come at a Capitol Hill press conference on Thursday. Progressive groups are already calling the amped up recess appointment support a victory for their pro-Warren grassroots organizing efforts.

Read more »

Wisconsin State Legislature

Wis. GOPer: 'Tons' Of Govt. Workers In My District -- And I Hope They're Asleep On Recall Day

Eric Kleefeld | June 1, 2011, 6:20PM

State Sen. Dan Kapanke (R-WI)

Wisconsin state Sen. Dan Kapanke, a Republican facing a recall election in the battle over Gov. Scott Walker's anti-public employee union legislation, might come to regret some of the language he used to fire up local Republicans in his western Wisconsin district.

As the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports, a secret audio recording of a talk that Kapanke gave on May 25 reveals Kapanke bemoaning the presence of a large number of public employees in his district -- and his tongue-in-cheek hopes that they'll be asleep on election day:

"So, we're going with our campaign, we're doing whatever we can. But we've got tons of government workers in my district -- tons, from La Crosse to Prairie du Chien and to Viroqua and to Ontario and to Hillsboro, you can go on and on and on. We have to overcome that. We gotta hope that they, kind of, are sleeping on July 12th, or whenever the date is."

Hmm, with remarks like that about the unions, they'll probably be setting their alarms early.

Abortion

Report: Feds Say Indiana Medicaid Plan Banning Funds For Planned Parenthood Is Illegal

Jon Terbush | June 1, 2011, 5:11PM

Gov. Mitch Daniels (R-IN)

The Health and Human Services Department has told the state of indiana that its Medicaid plan, which prohibits any funding for health clinics that perform abortions, must be changed, according to the Associated Press.

Via the AP:

In a letter sent to Indiana's Medicaid director, and obtained by The Associated Press on Wednesday, Medicaid Administrator Donald M. Berwick says Indiana's plan will improperly bar Medicaid beneficiaries from receiving services. Berwick writes that federal law requires Medicaid beneficiaries to be able to obtain services from any provider qualified to provide services.

That letter comes about a month after Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels (R) signed a bill stripping Planned Parenthood of all public funds, including Medicaid payments. According the letter obtained by the AP, the state can change its Medicaid plan, or face possible penalties.

Paul Ryan

Poll: Conservatives And Republicans Oppose Ryan Budget

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

Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI)

More evidence that Republicans are following Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI) down a dark path when it comes to Medicare: a new CNN poll shows not even self-identified conservatives are in favor of Ryan's scheme.

Like most recent polls, the CNN survey shows a vast majority of respondents less than thrilled with Ryan's plan to end Medicare and replace it with a voucher system. Just 35% say they support it, while 58% say they oppose it. The majority stands opposed to Ryan's plan across all demographic groups, including Republicans.

Read more »

Anthony Weiner

Anthony Weiner Tells Reporters He's Not Sure If Lewd Photo Is Him

Ryan J. Reilly and Benjy Sarlin | June 1, 2011, 4:27PM

Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-NY)

Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-NY), besieged by reporters after a vote in Congress, repeatedly evaded questions on whether a lewd photo on his Twitter feed, which he says was hacked, depicted his own body. Along the way he made many, many double entendres.

Asked how he could be unsure whether the photo was of him, he said he had a specialist looking into the issue to see whether it was genuine. But he declined to answer a reporter's follow up on whether there are similar photos of him in existence.

"This is part of the problem with the way this has progressed and one of the reasons I was perhaps, you'll forgive me, a little stiff yesterday," he said.

Read more »

Pres '12

Hmm...Bachmann Chief Of Staff Leaving For New Position

Eric Kleefeld | June 1, 2011, 3:53PM

Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN)

In another sign that Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN) appears to be on the verge of running for president, her Congressional Chief of Staff is now leaving the office -- to take up an unspecified "exciting new position" with her.

The Star Tribune reports that Parrish wrote an e-mail to other staffers, saying he was taking this new post. "I will be able to tell you more about what I am doing in the near future," he wrote. "I will reach out to each of you directly to talk to you more about this."

The Star Tribune reports that it is believed Parrish, who has worked on Bachmann's House campaigns, would become Bachmann's presidential campaign manager.

When asked by TPM for confirmation of whether Parrish was leaving the Capitol office in order to work on a political campaign for Bachmann, spokesman Doug Sachtleben wrote back: "Andy is taking a temporary leave of absence from the Congressional office, but will continue to work with Rep. Bachmann."

Bachmann has already said that she has prayed for guidance about what her 2012 decision would be, and that, "yes, I've had that calling."

Jeff Landry

GOP Rep. Snubs White House Invite: I Don't Want To Be 'Lectured' By Obama

Jon Terbush | June 1, 2011, 3:12PM

Rep. Jeff Landry (R-LA)

A freshman Republican congressman turned down an invitation to attend a White House conference with the rest of the GOP House caucus, saying he did not want to be "lectured" by the President.

"I have respectfully declined the President's invitation to the White House today," Rep. Jeff Landry (R-LA) said in a press release. "I don't intend to spend my morning being lectured to by a President whose failed policies have put our children and grandchildren in a huge burden of debt."

Obama had invited the Republican House membership to a meeting at the White House to discuss looming showdowns over the budget and debt limit. Obama will meet with the Democratic caucus Thursday.

Read more »

Andrew Breitbart

[CORRECTED] Rep. Schakowsky to Andrew Breitbart: Leave Weiner Alone!

Igor Bobic | June 1, 2011, 1:39PM

Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-NY)

Correction: The comments of Rep. Schakowsky were incorrectly attributed to Rep. Louise Slaughter (D-NY) in the original version of this post. We regret the error.
---

Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) fiercely defended Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-NY) Wednesday as he continues to be bombarded by the press over a lewd picture of an unidentified man's crotch that appeared on his Twitter account, accusing conservative blogger Andrew Breitbart of unfairly targeting Weiner and distorting his image.

"I am well aware of Andrew Breitbart, his chasing around with microphones in my face, his distortions [of] ACORN and Shirley Sherrod ... he has in my view no credibility whatsoever," Schakowsky said. "I have no belief that there's anything going on with Anthony Weiner, who also happens to be a happy, pretty lucky newlywed."

Read more »

Wisconsin State Legislature

Wis. Elections Board Seeks Extension On Recalls Against Dems, While GOPers Seek To Stop Their Own

Eric Kleefeld | June 1, 2011, 1:33PM

The Wisconsin State Capitol, March 10, 2011.

The wave of Wisconsin state Senate recalls, which were launched in the political battle over Gov. Scott Walker's anti-public employee union legislation, are now headed back to the courts.

As WisPolitics reports, the Wisconsin Government Accountability Board, which oversees elections in the state, has asked Dane County (Madison) Circuit Court Judge John Markson for an extension from their current deadline to certify or reject recalls by June 3, this Friday, in the three recalls targeting Democrats Dave Hansen, Jim Holperin and Robert Wirch. A hearing with Markson has been set for the day itself, this Friday, June 3.

The GAB has already certified the recalls against six Republicans, and rejected challenges by those incumbents that were made to the validity of the petitions. However, the GAB's filing says that it has had to delay action on the three remaining petitions (that is, the ones against the Dems) because the sets of challenges that have been filed are so much more vast, with many more thorough details for the board to have to examine and address.

Read more »

Paul Ryan

WATCH: Radio Host Cuts Off GOP Senate Candidate After He Dodges Questions On Ryan Budget

Benjy Sarlin | June 1, 2011, 1:26PM

Senate Candidate Mike Haridopolos (R-FL)

Mike Haridopolos, a Republican running for Senate in Florida, got so tangled up in answering a question the Paul Ryan budget in a radio interview that the host dropped his call mid-show.

Read more »

John Boehner

House Republicans Still In Standoff With Obama Over Debt Ceiling (VIDEO)

Susan Crabtree | June 1, 2011, 12:07PM

Speaker of the House John Boehner (R-OH)

House Republicans huddled with President Obama Wednesday morning and afterward cited little if any progress in reaching an agreement to raise the nation's debt ceiling or reduce spiraling deficits.

The House GOP leadership said they gave Obama an earful on a number of economic issues, including unemployment, the national debt and government regulation. Without a deal to reduce spending, House Republicans say they will stand firm against an increase in the nation's $14.3 trillion debt ceiling.

Read more »

Jon Huntsman

Poll Results In One Jon Huntsman Supporter In Iowa

Evan McMorris-Santoro | June 1, 2011, 11:28AM

Jon Huntsman

Despite the amped-up rhetoric and nearly non-stop coverage, Election Day 2012 is still a long way off. There's still plenty of time for candidates to build their base of support and for a darkhorse to emerge in the Republican field to surprise everyone. That said, the stark reality for former Utah governor and recently-departed Ambassador to China Jon Huntsman shown in one new Iowa poll suggests he'd better get on the stick if he wants to play in the first contest of the presidential cycle.

Between May 27-30, Public Policy Polling (D) surveyed 481 Republican voters in Iowa, and only one respondent said Huntsman's his guy. Just one.

Read more »

Iowa caucus

PPP Poll: Romney Starts Out Ahead In Iowa Crowd

Eric Kleefeld | June 1, 2011, 11:24AM

Mitt Romney

A new survey of Iowa from Public Policy Polling (D) finds Mitt Romney with a small plurality in the very crowded Republican caucus field, and posting some other strong numbers for the contest that he lost in 2008 after making heavy investments of time and resources. But other contenders like Herman Cain, Newt Gingrich, Michele Bachmann, Tim Pawlenty and Ron Paul are not too far behind.

The initial numbers: Romney 21%, Palin 15%, Cain 15%, Gingrich 12%, Bachmann 11%, Pawlenty 10%, and Paul 8%.

Another question was asked, for a scenario in which Palin did not run. The new numbers: Romney 26%, Cain 16%, Gingrich 15%, Bachmann 14%, Paul 11%, and Pawlenty 10%.

"Romney has the nominal lead but the fact that there are 6 people polling at double digits shows how wide open the race is in Iowa," writes PPP president Dean Debnam.

Read more »

Jim DeMint

Tea Partying Sen. Jim DeMint Weighing Presidential Run

Benjy Sarlin | June 1, 2011, 10:15AM

Sen. Jim DeMint (R-SC)

Add another potential late entrant to the GOP primary field: Senate Tea Party leader Jim DeMint.The South Carolina lawmaker told The Hill this week that he is discussing a presidential run with his family and praying on a final decision.

"It's humbling and out of respect, my wife and I have talked about it," DeMint said. "Out of respect for the people who have asked us to think about this, that's what we're going to do. I don't want to imply that I'm changing in mind, but I want to consider what all these folks are doing."

Read more »

Steve Israel

DCCC Chair Declines Comment On Weiner's Combative Presser

Evan McMorris-Santoro | June 1, 2011, 9:36AM

Rep. Steve Israel (D-NY)

Whether or not Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-NY) is guilty of anything in connection to the so-called "Weinergate" Twitter "hack", his handling of the fallout is becoming a textbook example of how to keep a story alive. So far, the man for whom the image of Congressional Democrats is paramount, DCCC Chair Steve Israel (NY), is declining to weigh in on Weiner's newfound adversarial relationship with the press.

Asked about Weiner's combative interaction with reporters on Tuesday and other similar moments where he's dodged questions about the story, Israel said he's not really paying that much attention.

Read more »

Jon Huntsman

Jon Huntsman: The Ryan Budget-Lovingest Republican Ever

Evan McMorris-Santoro | June 1, 2011, 8:30AM

Jon Huntsman

Former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman, who took his first steps into the Republican presidential field as a moderate, has over the past month turned himself into something far from the center when it comes to Medicare. From throwing Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI) more love than anyone to grabbing onto Ryan's Medicare-destroying budget with both hands, Huntsman's separating himself from the pack: No one running for president, it seems, is more excited about the Republican budget plan than him.

In an op-ed published Wednesday in the Wall Street Journal, Huntsman calls Ryan's plan an "honest attempt to save Medicare" and he calls on critics to put up their own plan or shut up about the GOP's. But that's among the more subtle love he's thrown Ryan and his budget in the recent past -- on Tuesday, Hunstman called Ryan one of the two Republicans alive he admires most.

Read more »

Medicare

Poll: GOP Medicare-Ending Budget Bigger Political Fumble Than First Thought

Evan McMorris-Santoro | June 1, 2011, 8:20AM

Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI)

It doesn't take much political savvy to note that Rep. Paul Ryan's (R-WI) Medicare-destroying budget plan hasn't panned out all that well for the GOP. But a new poll out from advocates for the Democratic health care law shows that the Ryan budget fail goes even deeper than embarrassed presidential candidates and special election upsets.

Not only does the poll show huge opposition to Ryan's plan to replace Medicare with a voucher system, the poll shows Democrats winning the credibility war when it comes to Medicare and "protecting the middle class." And -- in a jolt of good news for the White House and Democrats -- the numbers show that when voters are given Ryan budget messaging from opponents, support for the Democratic health care law actually goes up slightly in response.

Read more »

Anthony Weiner

Dem Rep. Weiner Refuses To Answer TPM's Questions On Twitter 'Hack'

Benjy Sarlin | May 31, 2011, 8:14PM

Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-NY)

An allegedly phony tweet sent from Rep. Anthony Weiner's (D-NY) Twitter account featuring a lewd picture is drawing increasing interest as the lawmaker refuses to answer reporters' questions on the incident.

TPM caught up with Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-NY) after his vote on a debt limit increase to see if he would clear up some of the remaining issues that media outlets have raised since a photo of an unidentified man's crotch was publicly sent to a college student and then quickly deleted on his Twitter account. He has claimed that his account was hacked and the person who received the photo says they have no relationship. On Tuesday, he testily evaded follow-up questions from news outlets like CNN on the topic and conservative news site The Daily Caller has repeatedly pressed the congressman for a yes or no answer on whether the picture in question is of Weiner.

"Look here's the decision I made and you can disagree with it," he told TPM when asked for a clear answer on whether it was him in the photo, "that after two and a half days of statements that answer these questions that I'm not going to keep drilling into further details and further details, even one ... even the easy questions, even the obvious questions, even the ones I've answered before."

Read more »

House Rejects Debt Ceiling Increase With 97 Democrats Voting 'Yes'

Benjy Sarlin | May 31, 2011, 7:24PM

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

As expected, indeed intended, a bill brought to the floor by House Republicans that would extend the debt ceiling by $2.4 trillion with no strings attached was overwhelmingly rejected Tuesday evening. Democrats split close to evenly on the 318-97 vote, which party leaders decried as a political stunt.

Democrats have called for a "clean" debt limit increase along the lines of the one offered by the GOP, but with no chance of passage for Tuesday's legislation many voted against the bill out of protest. 114 have signed on to a letter by Rep. Peter Welch (D-VT) calling for a similar bill, but only 97 voted for today's legislation, with 82 Democrats opposed. Another 7 Democrats voted 'present.'

"This was designed to fail," Welch (D-VT) told TPM before voting for the measure. "This is exhibit A in how we come up with political maneuvers that avoid addressing the issue in a serious way. The sponsors of this legislation introduced it with a speech about how they were going to oppose it."

Read more »

Pres '12

Bachmann: Democrats Are 'Terribly Afraid Of A Michele Bachmann Candidacy'

Eric Kleefeld | May 31, 2011, 6:20PM

Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN)

Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN) has a message for the Democrats: They are afraid of her running for president, and the possibility that she could pick up votes from women.

As the Associated Press reports, Bachmann toured New Hampshire on Tuesday, and appeared with the local radio WXKL-FM "Road to the White House" interview series, at a bar across the street from the statehouse. And during the interview, she criticized DNC chair Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz for calling Republican policies "anti-women."

"They're terribly afraid of a Michele Bachmann candidacy for president of the United States," said Bachmann. "Democrats see themselves with group politics quite often, they'll see that they think they should own certain minorities or ethnicities or that they should own women. That's not true."

Read more »

Lindsey Graham

Graham Plans to Grill Obama's Commerce Secretary Pick On Labor Issues And Service On Boeing's Board

Susan Crabtree | May 31, 2011, 5:25PM

Sen. Lindsay Graham (R-SC)

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) plans to question President Obama's choice for Commerce secretary on an issue related to union bargaining rights and Boeing.

John Bryson, who Obama tapped Tuesday to replace outgoing Commerce Secretary Gary Locke, serves on Boeing's board of directors though he will be forced to step down and recuse himself from any matters dealing with the defense giant, if confirmed by the Senate.

Read more »

Sarah Palin

Next Stop On The Palin Roadshow: Dinner With The Donald

Evan McMorris-Santoro | May 31, 2011, 3:42PM

Former Gov. Sarah Palin (R-AK) and Donald Trump

If you thought Sarah Palin's strange bus tour across the northeastern U.S. is a media circus now, just wait: Reports are coming in that Palin will on Tuesday evening meet up with the PT Barnum of media circuses, Donald Trump.

ABC's Michael Falcone reports on the details:

Read more »

Allen West

Allen West: Military Needs More Money For Toilet Paper But It Doesn't Need More Gays

Ryan J. Reilly | May 31, 2011, 3:05PM

Rep. Allen West (R-FL)

At a time when politicians are looking to cut back the federal budget, the United States needs to expand the military's budget, Rep. Allen West (R-FL) said Tuesday. Otherwise, the Tea Party favorite warned, troops could run out of toilet paper.

Read more »

Debt Ceiling

Steny Hoyer Slams GOP's 'Political Charade,' Urges Dems To Vote Down 'Clean' Debt Limit Increase

Benjy Sarlin | May 31, 2011, 2:40PM

House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer (D-MD)

House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer (D-MD) is urging his colleagues to vote down today's "clean" debt limit extension to deprive the GOP of a political win, even though he and the majority of his caucus publicly favor the legislation.

His advice underscores the topsy-turvy politics of Tuesday's upcoming vote on a Republican-sponsored bill that would raise the ceiling on government borrowing without tacking on any spending cuts or additional riders. While the legislation is exactly what most Democrats want to see pass, Republicans are bringing it to the floor with the expectation that it will fail -- likely with unanimous GOP opposition. The point of the vote is to divide progressive and conservative Democrats and bolster Republican arguments that major cuts are needed to successfully pass a debt ceiling hike.

Read more »

Pres '12

Unpopular Freshman GOP Governors Could Help Obama's Reelection Bid

Jon Terbush | May 31, 2011, 2:02PM

Gov. Rick Scott (R-FL) and Gov. John Kasich (R-OH)

When several newly minted Republican governors began pushing through broad, unpopular legislation this year, they may have unintentionally aided President Obama's reelection odds.

Emboldened by their party's midterm election day romp, freshman GOP governors in a few crucial swing states immediately began to advance radical legislation upon taking office. But as the cost of those unpopular legislative agendas has now become clear in the form of free-falling approval ratings and incredible buyer's remorse, polls have shown that that same voter discontent could translate into a big 2012 boost for President Obama.

Read more »

Barack Obama

Obama Taps Bryson As Commerce Secretary

Susan Crabtree | May 31, 2011, 1:27PM

John Bryson

President Barack Obama announced the nomination of businessman John Bryson to head the Commerce Department at the White House on Tuesday.

Bryson's name has been mentioned as a potential cabinet post since Obama won election in 2008. As a former chairman and CEO of Edison International, the parent company of Southern California Edison, and a co-founder of the Natural Resources Defense Council, he has straddled business and environmental activist circles. He also has served as a member of the United Nation's advisory group on energy and climate change.

During his tenure as the head of the California Public Utilities Commission in the early 1990s, Bryson angered some in the environmental community by arguing against renewable energy construction projects and defending the state's reliance on nuclear power.

If confirmed by the Senate, Bryson would replace outgoing Commerce Secretary Gary Locke who Obama tapped as the next ambassador to China.

Read more »

Pres '12

Mitt Romney: Man Of (Peculiar) Letters

Eric Kleefeld | May 31, 2011, 1:03PM

Mitt Romney may be on his way to an unusual distinction in the pantheon of presidential candidates: Unique tastes in fiction that few politicians would publicly admit to having -- indeed, it could be said he likes fiction that has amassed a cult following.

In an interview with NBC News, reporter Jamie Gangel asked Romney what book he had read most recently. And one of Romney's choices was the Twilight series, popular with teenage girls, which he picked up from his granddaughter.

"Last book I read was a novel called The Rule Of Nines, which was just fun...a more serious book, I finished President Bush's book, Decisions, and enjoyed that very much," said Romney. "I like silly stuff, too. I mean, I like the Twilight series. That was fun."

"You like vampires?" asked Gangel.

"I don't like vampires personally -- I don't know any," Romney responded, tongue in cheek. "But you know, my granddaughter was reading it. And I thought, well this looks like fun. So I read that."

"Vampires and science fiction," Gangel said humorously, as Romney laughed. "I don't think anyone would have guessed this."

Actually, given Romney's professed literary tastes from the last cycle, it could be considered a step up.

Read more »

Wisconsin Supreme Court

Kloppenburg Concedes To Prosser In WI Supreme Court Election

Eric Kleefeld | May 31, 2011, 12:44PM

Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice David Prosser, and Supreme Court candidate JoAnne Kloppenburg

The Wisconsin Supreme Court election has now come to an end, with liberal-backed challenger JoAnne Kloppenburg conceding defeat to incumbent conservative Justice David Prosser, in an election that saw numerous interest-group ads -- and some controversial errors in vote-counting -- in a state that has become the center of political controversy due to Gov. Scott Walker's anti-public employee union legislation.

Last week, the state Government Accountability Board, which oversees elections, certified Prosser as the winner by a margin of 7,004, following a statewide recount that Kloppenburg was legally entitled to request. Tuesday was the deadline if Kloppenburg were to choose to further contest the race in court.

"David Prosser has won this election and I congratulate him," Kloppenburg said at a press conference in Madison, WisPolitics reports.

Also, as reporter Jessica Arp from the local CBS affiliate reports, Kloppenburg said she will submit a list of anomalies to the GAB, in order to improve compliance with election procedures going forward.

Read more »

john bryson

Obama To Nominate John Bryson As Commerce Secretary

Susan Crabtree | May 31, 2011, 11:46AM

John Bryson

President Barack Obama plans to nominate businessman John Bryson to head the Commerce Department, according to a White House official.

Bryson's name has been mentioned as a potential cabinet post since Obama won election in 2008. As a former chairman and CEO of Edison International, the parent company of Southern California Edison, and a co-founder of the Natural Resources Defense Council, he has straddled business and environmental activist circles. He also has served as a member of the United Nation's advisory group on energy and climate change.

Read more »

Wisconsin State Legislature

WI Elections Board To Certify Recalls Against Three More Republicans

Eric Kleefeld | May 31, 2011, 10:57AM

A volunteer waits to gather signatures for a recall petition against Sen. Alberta Darling (R) outside of a polling station at Village Center in Shorewood, Wisconsin, Tuesday, April 5, 2011.

Wisconsin's Governmental Accountability Board (GAB), which oversees elections in the state, is today poised to certify recalls against three Republican state senators, as the battle continues over Gov. Scott Walker's anti-public employee union legislation.

The board today will approve recalls against state Sens. Robert Cowles, Alberta Darling and Sheila Harsdorf. Last week, the GAB approved recalls against Republicans Randy Hopper, Dan Kapanke and Luther Olsen. But still pending are three recalls targeting Democrats Dave Hansen, Jim Holperin and Robert Wirch.

As the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports, the board is postponing its decisions on the recalls targeting three Democrats, which were originally scheduled for today, citing strain on the board's bureaucratic resources posed by the sheer number of signatures and challenges that have been made. But Republicans are also protesting that decision:

Read more »

Mitt Romney

It's Official: Mitt Romney Is Running For President Again

Evan McMorris-Santoro | May 31, 2011, 10:38AM

Mitt Romney

Romneyiacs, the months of patiently waiting are nearly at an end: The former governor of Massachusetts will this Thursday finally formally announce his second run for the White House.

In keeping with his New Hampshire focus, Mitt Romney's announcement will be all Granite State, his campaign said in an announcement Tuesday morning. The statement, like the announcement itself, is somewhat anti-climactic: Details of the announcement were widely reported last week. Similarly, Romney's campaign for the Republican presidential nomination has been a mainstay of politics for over a year, despite the requisite coyness about the official nature of it from the candidate and his supporters.

Read more »

Debt Ceiling

First Debt Limit Vote Today As GOP Looks To Divide Dems

Benjy Sarlin | May 31, 2011, 10:20AM

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

Congress will holds its first vote on the debt ceiling on Tuesday, with the GOP House majority bringing up a "clean" bill that would raise the limit on the government's borrowing ability with no strings attached, i.e., no spending cuts. That's exactly what most Democrats have been calling for, so why would Republicans give them a chance to vote on it? That's where this gets tricky.

The vote is intended to expose fault lines within the Democratic caucus, with Republicans counting on sizable number of Democrats to side with them and bolster their case that Democrats need to agree to deep spending cuts as a condition to raising the debt limit.

Read more »

Pres '12

Bachmann's Prayers Answered: 'I've Had That Calling' To Run For President

Eric Kleefeld | May 31, 2011, 9:28AM

Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN)

Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN) appears to be inching ever closer to a run for president -- and as she has now said in her latest public statements, her prayers on the subject have now yielded a calling from God himself.

In an interview with Iowa Public Television, broadcast on Friday:

Henderson: You recently referenced your Christian faith. Former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee, when he announced he would not run, said that he just didn't feel called to do that. Have you had that sort of calling to run for president?

Bachmann: Well, every decision that I make I pray about as does my husband and I can tell you, yes, I've had that calling and that tugging on my heart that this is the right thing to do and because it's such a momentous decision, not only for myself, my husband and our 28 children, it is a momentous decision what ideas will I bring to bear? What are the resources that I have to marshal in terms of people, assets, the message and also the finances, the amount of time this will take, what this will mean for the nation. Am I the right person for the job? Every decision and every endeavor my husband and I have made we think it through, we're not rash people. We make a plan because we want to succeed, we don't want to fail and so we've been very deliberative in this process and that's why we're now coming to the culmination and next month, as I announced last night, I'll make that decision right here in Waterloo and the world will know.

[Note: Bachmann has had five biological children, and a total of 23 foster children over a span of many years.]

Bachmann has previously said she was praying for an "inner assurance" about her 2012 decision. It should be pointed out that for Bachmann, this stuff about receiving a divine calling to run for office is no joke -- it has allegedly happened before.

Read more »

Mitt Romney

Mitt Romney Gives Obama Presidency An 'F' (VIDEO)

Evan McMorris-Santoro | May 31, 2011, 9:12AM

Mitt Romney

The former governor of Massachusetts just set the bar for a Mitt Romney presidency very high. In an interview Tuesday morning on Today, Romney was asked to take a look at President Obama's term in office so far and come up with a letter grade. He didn't hesitate to flunk him.

Romney didn't mention if his grading curve included winning the Nobel Peace Prize, ushering in historic health care reform, signing into law dramatic steps forward in LGBT rights or, you know, killing Osama bin Laden -- but he said that taken on the whole, Obama's term in office gets a goose egg on the Romney meter.

Read more »

Medicare

Mitch McConnell: Ryan Plan Is 'On The Table' For Senate GOP

Benjy Sarlin | May 30, 2011, 3:38PM

Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) and Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI)

Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) has been cagey in his comments on the Ryan Medicare plan thus far, but on Sunday he offered his clearest indication yet that it had his support.

"I'm personally very comfortable with the way Paul Ryan would structure it," McConnell said on NBC's Meet The Press. "But we have a Democratic president. We're going to have to negotiate with him on the terms of changing Medicare so we can save Medicare."

McConnell, along with the overwhelming majority of his Republican colleagues in the Senate, voted for the House GOP budget containing the Ryan plan last week, giving them less cover to hedge on its Medicare provisions. Pressed by host David Gregory whether the Medicare proposal would ultimately be dumped in negotiations with the White House, McConnell emphatically denied the notion.

"No," he said. "It's on the table."

Mitt Romney

Romney: Health Of Massachusetts More Important Than Health Of My Political Prospects

Ryan J. Reilly | May 30, 2011, 11:32AM

Mitt Romney

The political wisdom holds that Mitt Romney must distance himself from "Romneycare" -- the Massachusetts health care law that is often pointed to as the inspiration for the health care law signed by President Barack Obama -- if he hopes to make a serious run for President.

But it doesn't look like Romney is backing down.

Read more »

Allen West

Sarah Palin's Bus Tour Off To Stormy Start After Chaotic Scene At Rolling Thunder (VIDEO)

Ryan J. Reilly | May 29, 2011, 1:55PM

ARLINGTON, VA -- Rep. Allen West (R-FL) was, until about a half hour before the Rolling Thunder motorcycle run began on Sunday, the most prominent politician in attendance. Then Sarah Palin showed up.

Read more »