Sarah Palin

Comedian Speaking Before Palin In Iowa Calls Liberals 'Special Needs Children'

Evan McMorris-Santoro | September 3, 2011, 4:23PM

Former Gov. Sarah Palin (R-AK) in Madison, Wisconsin, April 16, 2011.

Well, this has the potential to become awkward.

Sarah Palin made her much-anticipated Iowa speech in Indianola Saturday, and the news is there's not much news. Palin didn't announce her candidacy for president during her address, though she told a reporter afterwards is she is still considering jumping in.

But what another speaker at the event said before Palin spoke is making headlines, and threatening to add another layer of embarrassment to the strange, petty drama that surrounded the event -- and Palin -- last week.

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Sarah Palin

Sarah Palin Still Flirting With Presidential Run

Igor Bobic | September 3, 2011, 3:30PM

Sarah Palin

Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin is still not running for president. She just doesn't want you to forget she might, though, however slim her chances may be.

Palin, greeted by cheers of "Run, Sarah, Run" at a Tea Party rally in Iowa on Saturday, attacked President Obama, Washington, and her fellow Republican rivals, but declined to announce whether she would enter the race in 2012.

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S&P

Experts Question Ratings After S&P Gives Subprime Bonds Higher Rating Than U.S. Debt

Brian Beutler | September 2, 2011, 5:18PM

Influential investors are scratching their heads over a little-noticed development: After downgrading the country's credit rating, Standard & Poors is continuing to award AAA status to the same class of assets that nearly blew up the world economy three years ago.

From Bloomberg: "S&P is poised to provide AAA grades to 59 percent of Springleaf Mortgage Loan Trust 2011-1, a set of bonds tied to $497 million lent to homeowners with below-average credit scores and almost no equity in their properties."

In other words: U.S. Treasuries -- widely believed to be the safest investment in the world -- don't make the cut, but subprime mortgage investments do? What gives?

Subprime mortgage-backed securities are the same class of assets that fueled the housing bubble and triggered the 2008 financial crisis. According to a 2010 report by the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, the main ratings agencies fell over themselves to give these bonds AAA ratings, then abruptly downgraded them to junk status after mass mortgage delinquencies made maintaining the false ratings untenable.

According to the subcommittee's report, "In the end, over 90% of the AAA ratings given to mortgage-backed securities in 2006 and 2007 were downgraded to junk status, including 75 out of 75 AAA-rated Long Beach securities issued in 2006. When sound credit ratings conflicted with collecting profitable fees, credit rating agencies chose the fees." This triggered a collapse in mortgage-related securities leading to trillions of dollars in investor losses and a credit freeze that contributed to -- some contend caused -- the financial crisis.

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Joe Walsh

Tea Party Rep: Obama Is President Because He's Black (VIDEO)

Evan McMorris-Santoro | September 2, 2011, 4:43PM

Rep. Joe Walsh (R-IL) -- the tea party star and also tea party embarrassment -- apologized Thursday after he called President Obama "idiotic" earlier in the week.

After an appearance on MSNBC Friday to talk about the comment, Walsh may be apologizing yet again soon.

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2012 elections

Supposed Obama 'Defector' Bundled For John McCain In 2008

Evan McMorris-Santoro | September 2, 2011, 3:32PM

Kenneth Griffin, founder and CEO of Citadel, with his wife Anne Dias Griffin.

They may be popping champagne corks over at the headquarters of the Karl Rove-founded American Crossroads Republican money machine after the Huffington Post reported the group snagged Obama 2008 bundler Ken Griffin, according to the latest FEC report.

But a simple Google search uncovers that all that glitters is not political gold when it comes to Griffin, a hedge fund founder from Chicago and a rich donor who raised big cash for President Obama and his rival John McCain in the last presidential election.

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2012

71% Of Republicans Don't Want Sarah Palin To Run

Benjy Sarlin | September 2, 2011, 3:19PM

Sarah Palin

It seems Sarah Palin has worn out her welcome with Republicans. An astounding 71% of GOP voters say they don't want Palin to run for president, according to a new poll by FOX News, with 25% supporting a bid and 4% unsure.

The numbers are brutal for Palin, who was long regarded as a potential frontrunner for the 2012 nomination. Even among Tea Party-identifying Republicans she fares poorly: 68% say she shouldn't run versus only 28% who say she should. The numbers aren't that far off from the general electorate, 74% of whom don't want her to run versus 20% who do. Outside of Tea Partiers, more than 70% of every demographic broken out in the poll's crosstabs -- men, women, white voters, non-white voters, voters with college degrees, voters without college degrees -- are against a Palin run.

As TPM noted this week, there hasn't exactly been a clamor going up among Republicans for a Sarah Palin run while she's tested the waters in recent weeks. Maybe the disastrous box office returns for a movie celebrating her Alaska governorship were an early warning sign.

h/t Gawker

Debt Ceiling

Super Committee Schedules First Hearing On Debt Crisis GOP Has Already Blamed On Dems

Brian Beutler | September 2, 2011, 2:59PM

Rep. Jeb Hensarling (R-TX)

The 12 members of the new joint deficit Super Committee will meet Thursday for its first hearing on the origins, drivers, and potential consequences of U.S. debt.

For nearly all experts, this is a matter of settled fact. Most existing U.S. debt stems from a combination of Bush administration policies (massive tax cuts, unfunded wars), automatic consequences of the great recession (unemployment benefits, reduced revenues), and President Obama's stimulus bill. The key driver of future debt is health care costs, which will soon make Medicare unaffordable, and the ramifications, should policymakers fail to control the debt in the long run, would be economically catastrophic.

But for weeks, the committee's Republican co-chair, Rep. Jeb Hensarling (R-TX) has been repeating a version of this talking point, from a recent official statement.

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Polls

And Another One: New Poll Shows Perry Leads Nevada Too

Kyle Leighton | September 2, 2011, 1:30PM

Texas Gov. Rick Perry (R)

Tex. Gov. Rick Perry has taken the lead nationally, but GOP voters are really starting to catch on with his campaign in key primary states as well. Recently, Perry's stormed to the front in South Carolina and Iowa in multiple surveys, and a Republican poll out Friday shows him at the top in another early state in the GOP nomination process: Nevada.

A Magellan Strategies poll out Friday showed that Perry is the first choice of 29 percent of Neveada GOP caucus-goers, followed by former Mass. Gov. Mitt Romney at 24 percent. The survey shows pretty much a two way race: the rest of the field is in single digits, and former contender Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN) is down to fourth with 6 percent, behind businessman Herman Cain's 7.

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Environment

Obama Smog Decision Will Leave In Place 'Legally Indefensible' Environmental Standard

Brian Beutler | September 2, 2011, 12:42PM

Image From Pichugin Dmitry / Shutterstock

President Obama pulled the plug Friday on a long-delayed environmental regulation that would have further limited industrial smog emissions, leaving in place an ozone standard that EPA administrator Lisa Jackson recently described as "legally indefensible." The development most likely means smog standards in many states will remain lower than they would have been if President George W. Bush's lax policy had been fully pursued.

The proposed limits have been under assault by congressional Republicans and the business community for months. House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA) recently called it "possibly the most harmful of all the currently anticipated Obama Administration regulations."

Obama's decision comes the same day new employment figures show the economy created zero net jobs in August.

What was the regulation, and what does it mean now that it's been scotched? In short, it means Bush-era smog standards, declared inadequate by government science advisers, will likely remain in effect until mid-decade if not longer.

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Dick Cheney

Dick Cheney Says Sarah Palin Hasn't Explained Her Resignation

Benjy Sarlin | September 2, 2011, 12:37PM

Former Vice President Dick Cheney

Dick Cheney is not impressed with Sarah Palin's presidential resume, telling a radio host that he is concerned about her decision to abruptly resign her governor job in 2009.

"I've never gotten around the question of her having left the governorship of Alaska, mid-term," the former Vice President told radio host Laura Ingraham. "I've never heard that adequately explained."

He added that he'd "like to know more about that." Palin offered a plethora of reasons for the decision at the time she stepped down, most notably citing a slew of ethics investigations that she said paralyzed state government and required huge legal costs.

Cheney and Palin are generally considered two of the least popular Republican leaders in the country based on polling.

Economy

CNN Poll: 8 in 10 Believe We Are Still In Recession

Kyle Leighton | September 2, 2011, 12:30PM

New York Stock Exchange

A new CNN poll out on Friday shows that two and half years after the financial crisis and subsequent fallout, the public's worries about the economy have not settled. In fact, more people now feel the US is in a recession than they did in October of 2008.

CNN's survey showed that 69 percent of Americans think we are in a serious or moderate recession, with 13 percent who believe it's still a mild one. That means 8 in 10 Americans still feel the economy is still stuck in neutral, which isn't helpful for other economic indicators like consumer confidence, and could contribute to slowing the recovery.

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special election

Democrat Leads Fundraising War In NY-9 Special Election

Benjy Sarlin | September 2, 2011, 10:41AM

NY-09 candidates Bob Turner (R) and David Weprin (D)

It's looking rough for Democrats in the race to replace Anthony Weiner, where a poll yesterday showed the contest for the left-leaning seat all tied up between Democrat David Weprin and Republican Bob Turner. But Weprin does have one feather in his cap: superior cash.

Per the New York Times, the latest filings show Weprin with $451,000 raised through August 24 versus only $204,000 for Turner, a number that includes $65,000 of the Republican businessman's own money.

The big question now is whether national Republicans sense a potential Scott Brown moment in the making and drop significant cash of their own at the last minute. The NRCC gave Turner a $5,000 donation, but they haven't unleashed the floodgates of advertising money that they have in other races and Karl Rove's American Crossroads is also silent so far.

Jack Kimball

New Hampshire GOP Chair Resigns Under Pressure

Eric Kleefeld | September 2, 2011, 9:50AM

New Hampshire Republican Party chairman Jack Kimball

New Hampshire Republican Party Chair Jack Kimball, who won his post in the key presidential primary state earlier this year with the help of Tea Party activists, resigned the same office Thursday night at a meeting of the state party executive board -- following pressure for him to step down due to problems with fundraising and personnel, and just before the board was expected to officially vote him out.

The Concord Monitor reports:

"Don't do it, Jack!" yelled a supporter as Kimball made his announcement last night inside a Holiday Inn conference room in Concord, where onlookers gathered around a long table seating the 36-member executive committee.

"I have come to the conclusion that even if, during a vote, if I were to win - and I know the odds are against that - it would be next to impossible for me to fulfill my obligations as chairman moving forward given what's been against me," Kimball said. After speaking for four minutes from the head of the table, he received a standing ovation from the executive committee and those in attendance.

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Eric Cantor

MoveOn: Eric Cantor Is Holding Disaster Victims 'Hostage' For Spending Cuts (VIDEO)

Evan McMorris-Santoro | September 2, 2011, 9:41AM

As Democrats prepare to use House Majority Leader Eric Cantor's words about disaster relief funding against the whole GOP, the progressives at MoveOn.org are helping to get the ball rolling with a new national television ad calling Cantor's call for spending cuts to pay for disaster aid "appalling."

"Republicans like Eric Cantor are threatening to hold victims of Hurricane Irene hostage by demanding budget cuts in exchange for aid," the ad's narrator says. "Abandoning families who have lost everything just to serve the GOP's extreme agenda? It's heartless, appalling and it's not how we do things in America."

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Mitt Romney

Mitt Romney Tries To Make August Job Numbers Rick Perry's Problem

Evan McMorris-Santoro | September 2, 2011, 9:12AM

GOP Presidential Candidate Mitt Romney (R-MA)

It's clear to Mitt Romney what Americans should do about the terrible August job numbers released Friday.

"In order to change the direction of this country, we need to change presidents," Romney said in a statement Friday. President Obama "has failed," he said, and it's time for the country to move on from hope and change.

But it's also clear to Romney what Republican primary voters should do in the wake of the ugly jobs report: go against what appears to be their nature and pick someone other than Rick Perry to be their presidential nominee next year.

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Hurricane Irene

Hurricane Eric: Democrats See Opening In Cantor's Disaster Aid Offset Talk

Evan McMorris-Santoro | September 2, 2011, 6:26AM

House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA)

House Majority Leader Eric Cantor's requirement that new disaster relief spending be funded with spending cuts has left members of his party open to attack, Democrats say, and they don't plan to waste the opportunity.

This week, the DCCC called on 25 East Coast Republican members to either stand with Cantor's call for offset disaster spending or publicly oppose it. In areas still drying out from Hurricane Irene and repairing the damage from the East Coast earthquake that preceded it, Democrats think the suggestion that federal aid should be used as another budget cut bargaining chip will not sit well with voters.

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Barack Obama

Obama Approval Among Women Drops, But It's Men He Has To Watch Out For

Kyle Leighton | September 2, 2011, 6:25AM

President Barack Obama (D)

Some recent headlines have suggested that President Obama is losing support with women, who have consistently given him higher marks than men right since his 2008 election. "Women no longer are a bright spot for Obama," the AP commented in a write up of its own poll, which showed that the President was below 50 percent approval with both women and men. But these numbers, from what is the lowest point in the President's term ratings-wise, are neither different from other surveys, nor are they the whole story.

Women voters have provided the buffer for Obama's overall approval rating, which has been stubbornly high even though the President faced a number of challenges over the last two and a half years, economic and otherwise. A look back at some major polls show that men as a group have shifted greatly from Obama, from the highs of his early Presidency to below 40 percent. But despite some headlines, women voters have generally stuck with the President and they don't seem ready to fire him yet.

On the face of it you wouldn't get that impression from one of the main polling stories of this past week: the fact that female support in the Gallup tracking poll of Obama's approval hit a weekly low of 41 percent. But here's why that's not giving a complete picture.

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2012

So Much For Huntsman 2.0: The 'Crazy' Candidate Swings Right

Benjy Sarlin | September 2, 2011, 6:25AM

Jon Huntsman

Billing himself as the candidate of the "real world" and highlighting his breaks from party orthodoxy, Jon Huntsman has tried to brand himself as a pragmatic truth-teller in a GOP that has swung too far towards the hardline right.

But his rhetoric and policy hasn't always matched up with the broader message in recent days. The tension is most evident in his grand jobs plan, the centerpiece of which is a proposal to slash taxes for the wealthy while eliminating a plethora of popular breaks for homeowners and middle class Americans. Huntsman sells the move on its purity -- tax expenditures for corporations and average Americans alike would be dropped to lower rates -- but realistically, the plan has virtually no chance of passing Congressional muster. The Bowles-Simpson deficit commission, hardly a darling of the left, acknowledged as much in their report last year, suggesting lawmakers keep some of the most popular breaks -- like the mortgage interest deductions, exemptions for employer-provided health care, and the earned income tax credit -- in order to generate sufficient support for tax reform along the lines Huntsman proposes.

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Muslims

Pew: Americans Say Wars In Iraq, Afghanistan Haven't Made U.S. Safer

Kyle Leighton | September 2, 2011, 6:20AM

The view of Ground Zero from a nearby building

On the eve of the ten year anniversary of 9/11, the Pew Research Center has released new data on Americans' reaction to the attacks, and the foreign and national security policies pursued in the post 9/11 era. They show a country with views that have evolved on the relationship between civil liberties and the tools given to government to fight terrorism, and a disbelief that the continuing wars in Iraq and Afghanistan helped to lessen the chance there will be another terrorist attack on the United States.

The Pew survey showed a large shift in the number of Americans who are willing to see some of their civil liberties go out the window in the name of fighting terrorism. Directly after 9/11, Americans were willing to make the deal, as 55 percent thought it was necessary, against 35 percent who felt the opposite. Now, only 40 percent felt that giving up some civil liberties is necessary to curb terrorism, with 54 percent against.

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2012

FOX Poll: Bachmann Getting Hammered By Perry's Surge In Polls

Kyle Leighton | September 1, 2011, 6:49PM

FOX News came out with a new poll Thursday evening that confirmed the numbers from other polls showing Texas Gov. Rick Perry shooting to the top of the GOP field in the race for the party's presidential nomination. Unfortunately for Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN), it seems that much of Perry's success is coming at her loss.

Perry leads with 26 percent of GOP voters, followed by now chief rival Mitt Romney at 18 percent. Bachmann, who had been reaching second place in national polls before the entrance of Perry in the race, was relegated to being the first choice of only 4 percent of Republicans.

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special election

Upset Brewing? Poll Shows NY-9 Special Election Is Currently Tied

Benjy Sarlin | September 1, 2011, 6:17PM

NY-09 candidates Bob Turner (R) and David Weprin (D)

It's not looking good for Democrats in New York's 9th district, where voters will determine Anthony Weiner's successor on September 13th. A Republican-commissioned poll shows the race tied after a week in which Democratic nominee David Weprin fluffed a question on the size of the national debt.

The poll, by McLaughlin & Associates, found a 42-42 tie between Weprin and Republican Bob Turner among 300 likely voters surveyed. A poll last month by Siena University showed Weprin with a 46-40 lead, and even that was enough to raise alarm bells in the Democratic-leaning district.

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Gabrielle Giffords

AZ State House Dem Leader: Local GOP Glock Auction 'Sick'

Evan McMorris-Santoro | September 1, 2011, 5:57PM

Rep. Gabriel Giffords (D-AZ)

The hits just keep on coming for the Pima County, AZ Republican Party, which is in hot water this week after fundraising in Rep. Gabrielle Giffords' (D) Tucson-area district with a raffle giveaway of a Glock handgun -- the same make of weapon used in the Giffords shooting in January.

Late Thursday, the Democratic leader of the Arizona state House -- where Giffords once served as a legislator -- took deep offense at the raffle, and called on the Pima GOP to end it immediately.

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Silvio Berlusconi

Berlusconi Calls Italy A Sh*tty Country He Plans To Leave

Brian Beutler | September 1, 2011, 5:16PM

Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi

Three years ago the United States endured a fake controversy centered on then-candidate Barack Obama, whose then-friend and mentor, Reverend Jeremiah Wright had years earlier boomed "GOD DAMN AMERICA!" during a crowded sermon at his influential Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago. The imbroglio dominated campaign coverage for days, and presaged a public rift between the two men, and Obama's memorable Philadelphia speech on race.

Imagine for a moment that Obama, not Wright, had uttered those words, during his presidency, not his campaign, and you'll have a sense for what Italy's dealing with right now.

Here's a report from The Guardian:

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2012

Perry Slams 'Blatantly False' Attack Ad From Pro-Bachmann PAC

Benjy Sarlin | September 1, 2011, 4:32PM

A Super PAC supporting Michele Bachmann's campaign, Keep Conservatives United, threw one of the first on-air punches of the 2012 GOP primary this week, lighting into Rick Perry as a big spending governor who is not a "Tea Party guy." Now the Perry camp is pushing back hard, condemning the South Carolina TV ad and releasing a detailed fact check disputing its claims.

"Gov. Perry is a proven fiscal conservative, having cut taxes, signed six balanced budgets, and led Texas to become America's top job-creating state," Perry spokesman Ray Sullivan told reporters. "Congresswoman Bachmann's front-group ad is patently and provably false. Unlike Washington, the Texas budget is balanced, does not run deficits and limits spending, even as Texas added jobs and population in big numbers."

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White House

White House On 'Speechgate': Let's Move On, Folks

Susan Crabtree | September 1, 2011, 3:17PM

White House spokesman Jay Carney on Thursday downplayed the skirmish over scheduling a presidential speech on jobs and the economy before a joint session of Congress, repeatedly dismissing the communications breakdown between the two branches of government that occurred just the day before as the very type of petty Washington politics the American people disdain.

During a press briefing, Carney was asked why the President and Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) couldn't seem to get on the same page over something as simple as scheduling a speech before a joint session of Congress and what that portended for the work of Congress' supercommittee and the must-pass additional debt reduction this fall.

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Unemployment

White House: Unemployment Will Average 9 Percent In Election Year

Brian Beutler | September 1, 2011, 2:10PM

Jack Lew, Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB).

President Obama's mid-session budget review confirms what most private and government projections have recently concluded -- that the economy is considerably weaker than earlier forecasts held, and won't fully recover from the Great Recession for years.

Most troubling, both for the country and for Obama politically, is that near-term unemployment is expected to remain significantly higher than expected, averaging 9 percent in fiscal year 2012.

Obama's budget office initially calculated its economic forecast based upon data available through June. Even that data presaged an 8.8 percent average unemployment rate in 2011 and an 8.3 percent average rate next year. But the mid-session review got delayed, and when the Office of Management and Budget revised it to incorporate the data through the end of August, the picture became much gloomier. Unemployment will average 9.1 percent this year, and 9.0 percent next year, OMB concluded, and won't dip below 7 percent until 2015 at the earliest.

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Gabrielle Giffords

Tucson Republican Leader Slams County GOP For Giffords Gun Raffle

Evan McMorris-Santoro | September 1, 2011, 1:52PM

Image From Andrew Williams / Shutterstock

Eyebrows shot up all over the country Thursday following news that that the Republican Party in Pima County, AZ -- home to Tucson and Rep. Gabrielle Giffords' (D) district -- is raffling off a Glock similar to the one used to shoot Giffords in the head in January.

In Tucson, the condemnation of the plan was universal and bi-partisan.

"There's a woman who has a bullet in the brain and who everybody is wishing a full recovery," Brian Miller, the immediate past chair of the Pima County GOP told TPM. "I don't think that raffling off a firearm right now is probably the right way to go."

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2012

Jon Huntsman Fires New Hampshire Campaign Manager

Benjy Sarlin | September 1, 2011, 1:41PM

Jon Huntsman

Jon Huntsman is shaking up his staff in New Hampshire, dropping his campaign manager for the state, Ethan Elion, and replacing him with a former aide to Tim Pawlenty.

"Sarah Crawford Stewart, a seasoned New Hampshire strategist, will be taking over many of the day-to-day responsibilities in her role as New Hampshire senior adviser," a spokesman told the New Hampshire Union Leader. The campaign is very pleased with the leadership team we have in place in New Hampshire."

Stewart was Pawlenty's state director and also worked on John McCain's successful 2000 and 2008 primary campaigns.

It's a bit of a stretch to call any state a "must-win" for Huntsman given that he's barely registering in national polling at the moment, sharing the bottom-tier with candidates like Thad McCotter and Gary Johnson. But as a far as Huntsman has a path to the nomination, it runs through New Hampshire, where he's hoping he can appeal to independent and moderate voters to jumpstart his campaign.

2012

Poll: GOP Insiders Overwhelmingly Favor Romney

Benjy Sarlin | September 1, 2011, 1:09PM

GOP Presidential Candidate Mitt Romney (R-MA)

Republican "insiders" are wary of Rick Perry's ability to win, according to a survey by National Journal, picking Mitt Romney by a wide margin as the more electable candidate.

The poll, which regularly checks in with a pool of Republican and Democratic strategists, finds both parties in agreement that Romney is the superior candidate. Republicans think the GOP would be better off nominating him by a 69% to 31% margin. That number is even higher among Democratic insiders, 83% of whom see Romney as the better bet versus 17% for Perry.

Unnamed insiders from both parties cited questions about Perry's ability to win over independents given his resume as a hardline conservative, red-state governor. "Perry can fire up the base, but this election will be won in the middle, not on the fringes," one Republican said.

Given his recent appeals to the Tea Party, winning a poll of veteran Republican politicos may not be the most exciting achievement for Romney. And given that Perry is amassing a solid lead in national polls and surging in a number of early primary and caucus states, it may not be the most representative slice of GOP opinion either. A recent PPP poll of South Carolina, for example, showed Perry cleaning up not only with the conservative, Tea Party wing of the GOP, but with more moderate Republicans that should in theory be Romney's base.

Google

Google, Fox News Team Up For Republican Presidential Debate

David Taintor | September 1, 2011, 1:03PM

Google and Fox News announced on Thursday that they're teaming up to present a Republican presidential debate on Sept. 22.

While the debate itself was already scheduled, Google's partnership adds an interactive element. A YouTube channel launched Thursday offers viewers an opportunity to submit questions to the candidates.

Read more »

2012 elections

Dem Video Blasts GOP On...Angry Town Halls (VIDEO)

Eric Kleefeld | September 1, 2011, 11:18AM

Web video from the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, "The Heat is on Republicans as Outrage Grows"

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee has new web video out, going after the GOP on a topic that might seem oddly familiar to people who remember the last campaign cycle: angry constituents at congressional town halls.

Last cycle, of course, Republicans made hay against the then-Democratic majority, highlighting how Democratic members faced angry town halls mainly on the issue of health care reform. The DCCC's new video shows various local news clips from across the country, all of them of Republicans facing heat on GOP proposals to privatize Medicare and other economic issues.

Read more »

Barack Obama

Speechgate: How Obama's Jobs Address Got Postponed

Igor Bobic | September 1, 2011, 11:05AM

After squaring off with House Speaker John Boehner over when President Barack Obama could address Congress on his job plan, the White House announced late Wednesday that they would postpone the speech back a day to Thursday, Sept. 8. But the final result came after an entire day of partisan bickering over who would come out on top. Here's a look at how the day played out, blow by blow:

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Nan Hayworth

GOP Freshman Under Fire For Demanding Offsets For Disaster Relief In Her Own District

Brian Beutler | September 1, 2011, 9:39AM

Rep. Nan Hayworth (R-NY)

This isn't the sort of headline and lead paragraph you want to read in the local paper if you're a freshman House member in a marginal district: "Hayworth seeking to withhold disaster money unless it is offset by budget cuts: Only days after a record-setting storm destroyed her district, Rep. Nan Hayworth and her House colleagues threatened to withhold disaster money if lawmakers don't cut additional spending from the federal budget."

But that's exactly what the New York freshman woke up to this morning after saying she would only vote to replenish FEMA's disaster relief fund if the money is offset with spending cuts elsewhere in the budget, according to the paper. Her constituents, and officials in her district, don't want to hear about conditions -- even Republicans.

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Rick Perry

Rick Perry's "Star Wars" Problem Haunts Him As He Heads For The Reagan Library

Evan McMorris-Santoro | September 1, 2011, 9:08AM

Next week -- as everyone in the universe now knows -- Rick Perry will appear in a televised debate at the Reagan Library in California. The debate will be Perry's first as a presidential candidate, and it takes place on what is virtually hallowed ground for Republicans.

But Perry will walk in facing questions about one of Reagan's favorite projects: the Strategic Defense Initiative, nicknamed "Star Wars." On the trail recently, Perry's been trying to deflect his past as a Democrat and supporter of Al Gore's first presidential bid. One method of doing that has been playing down Gore's 1988 position on "Star Wars" or SDI.

But as ABC News' Michael Falcone points out, Perry's SDI talk is somewhat short of the mark.

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Sarah Palin

Christine O'Donnell Takes To Twitter After Tea Party Rejection

Benjy Sarlin | September 1, 2011, 8:33AM

Sarah Palin and Christine O'Donnell

The epic drama between Sarah Palin, Christine O'Donnell, and the Tea Party of America over who would appear at an event in Iowa this weekend appears to have reached its conclusion: Palin is in. O'Donnell is out.

But that's about all they agree on. According to CNN, Palin's camp was upset after O'Donnell's staff told the Tea Party group that they had the ex-governor's support in joining the event, even claiming that the two had been exchanging text messages. The group's president, Ken Crow, finally dropped O'Donnell (after briefly re-inviting her) once Palin put her appearance "on hold."

O'Donnell, who is promoting her book "Troublemaker," took to Twitter to defend her behavior and suggested reporters were inventing Palin sources as part of a conspiracy to hurt the Tea Party.

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Wisconsin

Teacher Exodus In Wake Of Anti-Union Law In Wisconsin

Eric Kleefeld | September 1, 2011, 6:30AM

Gov. Scott Walker (R-WI)

Today begins a new school year in Wisconsin - but not, as it turns out, for a perhaps record number of public school teachers.

According to documents obtained by the Associated Press, about double the number of Wisconsin public school teachers have retired this year when compared to the past two years, before Scott Walker's anti-union law -- which stripped away most collective-bargaining rights for public-sector unions, and required greater contributions by public employees for their healthcare and pensions -- was ever proposed or much less passed.

"It wouldn't make sense for me to teach one more year and basically lose $8,000," said Green Bay teacher Ginny Fleck, age 69, who has 30 years of experience.

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Rick Perry

Rick Perry Defends Early Praise For Clinton Health Care Plan

Benjy Sarlin | September 1, 2011, 6:15AM

Gov. Rick Perry (R-TX)

Rick Perry says a letter he wrote in 1993 praising Hillary Clinton's health care reform efforts is misunderstood and should not be taken as an endorsement of the law.

The correspondence, recently dug up by The Daily Caller, dates back to when Perry was serving as Agriculture Commissioner in Texas. In it, he asked that rural communities be taken into consideration as a task force led by First Lady Hillary Clinton prepared their recommendations. But he also had some kind words for Clinton personally, writing "I think your efforts in trying to reform the nation's health care system are most commendable."

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FEMA

Ex-FEMA Official On The Risks Of Offsetting Disaster Aid

Brian Beutler | September 1, 2011, 6:15AM

House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA)

Faced with growing criticism Tuesday, including from members of his own party, House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA) appeared to soften, slightly, his general view that federal disaster relief should be offset with equal or greater budget cuts.

He told the Richmond Times-Dispatch, that relief funds would not get bogged down in the sort of protracted budget fight that has dominated Congressional politics all year. His spokesman Brad Dayspring, in a statement to several reporters, echoed this. "People and families affected by these disasters will certainly get what they need from their federal government," he said. "The goal should be to find ways to pay for what is needed or to find offsets whenever possible, that is the responsible thing to do. Clearly when disasters and emergencies happen, people expect their government to treat them as national priorities and respond properly. People also expect their government to spend their dollars wisely, and to make efforts to prioritize and save when possible."

That will come as welcome news to victims and FEMA alike, if it turns out that they need Congress to pass emergency legislation in the aftermath of Hurricane Irene.

Mark Merritt, a former senior FEMA official in the Clinton administration said these kinds of budget impasses can be a big drag in a disaster management situation.

Read more »

John Boehner

Obama Accedes To Boehner On Job Speech Timing; Schedules For Sept. 8

Ryan J. Reilly | August 31, 2011, 9:42PM

House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) and President Barack Obama (D)

After squaring off with House Speaker John Boehner over when President Barack Obama could address Congress on his job plan, the White House announced late Wednesday that they'll move the speech back a day to Thursday, Sept. 8. Republicans were upset that Obama had originally scheduled his speech for next Wednesday, which conflicted with the Republican presidential debate.

Read more »

Barack Obama

"Childish!" Dems, GOP Snipe Publicly Over The Timing Of President's Job Speech

Brian Beutler | August 31, 2011, 6:38PM

For the first time in history, a U.S. House Speaker has publicly rebuffed -- or at least moved to rebuff -- a request from the President of the United States to address a joint session of Congress.

The unexpected request, and unprecedented diss, have touched off a round of public partisan sniping so bitter, it's been at least since debt limit negotiations broke down waaaaay back in July that we've seen anything like it.

The White House confirms to TPM that it gave Congressional leadership the heads up before announcing its request publicly and no objections were raised at the time. Republicans say they never signed off, and were never asked to sign off.

"No one in the Speaker's office - not the Speaker, not any staff - signed off on the date the White House announced today," said Brendan Buck, a spokesman for Speaker John Boehner. "Unfortunately we weren't even asked if that date worked for the House. Shortly before it arrived this morning, we were simply informed that a letter was coming. It's unfortunate the White House ignored decades - if not centuries - of the protocol of working out a mutually agreeable date and time before making any public announcement."

A senior Democratic aide, granted anonymity to explain the sequence of events honestly, does not dispute that the White House acted hastily.

Read more »

Michele Bachmann

Michele Bachmann: Obama's Trying To Keep America's Eyes Off Us With Jobs Speech

Evan McMorris-Santoro | August 31, 2011, 5:03PM

Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN)

Michele Bachmann says President Obama scheduled his job speech on the same night as one of three nationally televised Republican presidential debates in the month of September because he wants to prevent Americans from seeing the group of Republicans who may face him next fall.

Earlier Wednesday, House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) called on Obama to move the speech, citing the time needed "for a security sweep of the House Chamber before receiving a President."

Bachmann supports Boehner's move, and said "clearly the administration has a great deal of insecurity about their job plan and the lack of it."

Speaking to Fox News on Wednesday, Bachmann argued, "Boehner is saying... rather than the president hiding his speech, and trying to divert the American people away from hearing from the presidential candidates on their assessment of his job that he failed to do for the economy."

She continued, "John Boehner is rightly saying, let's have the American people watch you."

Read more »

Jon Huntsman

Huntsman Debuts Jobs Plan: Tax Breaks For The Rich

Benjy Sarlin | August 31, 2011, 4:48PM

Jon Huntsman

Jon Huntsman is looking to reboot his flagging campaign with a new jobs plan, offering up a list of ideas to spur growth in a speech on Wednesday. But despite his recent breaks with party orthodoxy on issues like climate change, he stuck to the usual conservative line on revenue, putting tax breaks for the rich and corporations at the center of his proposal.

"I'm not running for president to promise solutions, I'm running to deliver solutions," he said, according to prepared remarks. "Some of my entitlement reforms come directly from the Paul Ryan Plan. Other solutions come from the Simpson-Bowles Commission - a bipartisan group that last year put forth some very sensible tax reforms."

Under Huntsman's proposal, the tax code would be simplified into three brackets of 8%, 14%, and 23%. In addition, the corporate tax rate would be lowered to 25%, and taxes on capital gains and dividends would be eliminated entirely.

Overall, however, the whole shift would be revenue neutral. How?

Read more »

2012

Boehner Asks Obama To Reschedule Jobs Speech

Thomas Lane | August 31, 2011, 4:20PM

House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH)

Just hours after President Obama scheduled his big jobs speech at the same time as the first GOP presidential debate featuring Texas Gov. Rick Perry, House Speaker John Boehner is asking that the President delay the speech by a day.

The format the White House requested for the address on September 7 was a big all-whistles-and-bells joint session of Congress. Boehner fired back in a very polite but pointed letter that made no mention of the GOP debate, but asked Obama to delay it until September 8, citing a different source of concern, namely that Congress won't have time to formally approve the joint resolution of both houses extending the invite for Obama to make the address.

Read more »

Allen West

Allen West Threatens To Quit Congressional Black Caucus Over Attacks On GOP, While Attacking Dems

Eric Kleefeld | August 31, 2011, 3:49PM

Rep. Allen West (R-FL)

Rep. Allen West (R-FL), the hard-line conservative Tea Partier who is currently the only Republican member of the Congressional Black Caucus, is now saying that he might quit the group -- if they don't condemn remarks made by fellow member Rep. André Carson (D-IN) attacking Republicans.

"Some of these folks in Congress right now would love to see us as second-class citizens," Carson told a CBC event in Miami. "Some of them in Congress right now with this Tea Party movement would love to see you and me -- hanging on a tree."

This has West -- who has made no small amount of racially inflammatory remarks about Democrats and African-American voters -- calling for the CBC to denounce Carson, who holds a leadership position as CBC whip.

"It is unconscionable when a fellow CBC Member, Congressman Andre Carson, comes to South Florida and claims that some in the Tea Party would love to see black Americans 'hanging on a tree,'" West wrote Wednesday in a letter to CBC chair Emanuel Cleaver (D-MO), which he also released to the media. "It is appalling to hear another CBC colleague, Congresswoman Maxine Waters, say 'The Tea Party can go straight to hell.'

"As Chairman of the CBC, I believe it is incumbent on you to both condemn these types of hate-filled comments, and to disassociate the Congressional Black Caucus from these types of remarks. Otherwise, I will have to seriously reconsider my membership within the organization."

Read more »

2012 elections

GOP Debate Sponsors Express Delight That Obama Is Upstaging Them

Thomas Lane | August 31, 2011, 3:31PM

President Obama delivers his first State of the Union address.

What do you do if you're sponsoring a televised GOP 2012 debate and the President of the United States schedules a major address to Congress that clashes with it?

Do you:
(a) Freak out and react angrily.
(b) Grin and bear it.

So far the hosts of the Sept. 7 GOP debate, Politico and NBC News, are taking the latter route. Politico's John Harris called it "a terrific turn of events," and tweeted: "It raises the profile of the whole evening ... makes it the first general election debate."

Read more »

Barack Obama

White House: Debate Organizers Can Always Reschedule Away From Our Jobs Speech

Evan McMorris-Santoro | August 31, 2011, 1:22PM

If organizers of next week's Republican presidential debate are upset that the White House is calling for a nationally-televised presidential speech before a joint session of Congress at the same time their event is scheduled to begin at the Reagan Library in California, the White House is not offering much in the way of apology.

"There were a lot of considerations," White House Press Secretary Jay Carney told reporters today. "And, obviously, one debate of many that's on one channel of many was not enough reason not to have the speech at the time that we decided to have it."

Read more »

Libya

Schumer: Cut Off Libya Aid If New Govt. Doesn't Turn Over Lockerbie Bomber

Eric Kleefeld | August 31, 2011, 12:26PM

Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY)

Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) is calling for the United States to put a new condition on aid to the new government in Libya: Extradite convicted Pan-Am Flight 103 bomber Abdel Baset al-Megrahi.

"If the new Libyan government continues to shield this convicted terrorist from justice, then they should not get one more cent of support from the United States," said Schumer, NBC reports.

"We put American lives and money on the line to help the Libyan people secure their freedom. It's time the Libyan government lives up to its commitment to create a free and accountable society by handing over al-Megrahi so that justice can finally be done."

Read more »

Barack Obama

Obama To Make Big Jobs Speech On Same Night As GOP 2012 Debate

Evan McMorris-Santoro | August 31, 2011, 12:04PM

America cares about jobs. The national press corps cares about the 2012 presidential race. And next Tuesday, we might get to see which topic can draw a bigger audience.

White House Communications Director Dan Pfeiffer announced on Twitter Wednesday that President Obama has called for a joint session of Congress Sept. 7 so he can make his much-anticipated jobs speech to lawmakers and the nation.

That schedule would put Obama's address in direct conflict with the first of three Republican presidential debates scheduled for September.

Read more »

Sarah Palin

Palin/O'Donnell Event Descends Into Total Chaos

Benjy Sarlin | August 31, 2011, 11:28AM

Sarah Palin

Update, 12:57 PM: According to NBC, Tea Party of America president Ken Crow said "I had to cancel O'Donnell," and is trying to lure Palin back to the event.

Update, 2:45 PM: Success! Palin sources tell RCP's Scott Conroy that the ex-governor will be in attendance.

First Sarah Palin was scheduled to attend the Tea Party of America's Iowa rally this weekend. Then Christine O'Donnell was invited. Then Christine O'Donnell was uninvited. Then she was re-invited. Now Palin is out. Maybe.

Easy to follow, right? According to the Wall Street Journal, Palin will not share the stage with O'Donnell, who she famously endorsed in 2010, because the ex-governor is sick of "continual lying" by the event's organizers. But there's still confusion over what's going on: Real Clear Politics' Scott Conroy disputed the report on Twitter, saying sources had told him the event was only "on hold," while a Tea Party of America official told reporter Shushanna Walshe the event was still a go after a talk with Palin.

It's easy to see where Palin might get a negative impression of the organizers, however. After initially asking O'Donnell to join the event, Tea Party of America's top officials split over their reasons for rescinding O'Donnell's initial invite, with president Ken Crow citing scheduling problems and co-founder Charles Gruschow citing widespread disdain for the former Senate candidate among Tea Party activists. They quickly brought her back into the fold, however, and Crow said they had "panicked" initially in dropping her.

Palin, who has yet to rule out a presidential bid, will still visit Iowa this weekend for other events.

Read more »

Wisconsin Protests

Local Wis. Union Backs Down, Will Allow Republicans In Labor Day Parade

Eric Kleefeld | August 31, 2011, 10:04AM

The local AFL-CIO council in Wausau, Wisconsin, has now backed down from its previous declaration that local Republican politicians would not be allowed to march in the city's Labor Day Parade -- following a response by the mayor that the labor council would have to reimburse the city for its share of co-sponsoring the annual public event.

The Wausau Daily Herald reports:

In an email statement issued shortly before midnight, Marathon County Labor Council President Randy Radtke said everyone will be permitted to march in the parade "because we don't want to have community groups and school bands affected."

"We didn't start this fight in Wisconsin, but were responding to anti-worker positions and policies supported by local Republican politicians, including those who have complained about not being invited," Radtke's statement read. "With the track records that [state Sen.] Pam Galloway, [U.S. Rep.] Sean Duffy, [Gov.] Scott Walker, and [state Rep.] Jerry Petrowski have all put together this year, they should be ashamed to even show their faces at a Labor Day parade."

Read more »

Mitt Romney

Tea Partiers To Protest Mitt Romney's Attempted Embrace Of Them

Evan McMorris-Santoro | August 31, 2011, 9:28AM

GOP Presidential Candidate Mitt Romney (R-MA)

Mitt Romney may be trying to make new friends with the tea party, but it seems that some tea partiers are not interested in giving him a friendly welcome.

Freedomworks, which has made standing in the way of Romney's presidential ambitions a goal, will protest Romney's appearance at a Tea Party Express event in New Hampshire this weekend, according to Politico.

Read more »

Christine O'Donnell

Christine O'Donnell Re-Invited To Iowa Tea Party Rally Featuring Sarah Palin

Evan McMorris-Santoro | August 31, 2011, 8:46AM

Christine O'Donnell

According to a chagrined tea party leader, Christine O'Donnell will once again be a belle at the movement's ball for Sarah Palin this weekend.

The Delaware News-Journal reports the Iowa-based Tea Party of America re-invited O'Donnell to speak at its Saturday event in Indianola, Iowa after booting her from the list of speakers.

On Twitter late Tuesday, O'Donnell wrote she has "humbly re-accepted the re-invitation."

Read more »

Polls

Quinnipiac: Obama Matchups With Romney, Perry In A Dead Heat

Kyle Leighton | August 31, 2011, 7:40AM

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

A new national poll from Quinnipiac University shows that national races on both the presidential level and for Congress are in a dead heat as Washington prepares to return to work in September. Tex. Gov. Rick Perry now leads the announced GOP field in his quest for the presidential nomination, the first choice of 26 percent of Republican voters, followed by former frontrunner former Mass. Gov. Mitt Romney at 20 percent, in what is now the fifth national poll Perry has taken the lead.

The poll also shows that President Obama, whose approval rating has been weakened by a slow economy and general disdain for Washington, is running very closely with both Perry and Romney. Obama leads Perry with 45 percent to the Texas governor's 42, and ties Romney at 45 percent. Both matchups are within the poll's margin of error and therefore a statistical dead heat.

Read more »

Mitt Romney

Tea For '12: Mitt Romney Suddenly Finds Time For The Tea Party

Evan McMorris-Santoro | August 31, 2011, 6:15AM

Mitt Romney

For some undefined but Texas governor-sized-and-shaped reason, Mitt Romney is suddenly very interested in attending tea party events.

It's a strategy that's easy to mock, considering the tea party-friendly Rick Perry's poll numbers -- and Romney's penchant to say the right (read: well-received) thing -- but it shows that Team Romney is actively stepping up to the Perry challenge, which could have a dramatic effect on Perry's march to the top of the field.

But for now, the sheer political expediency of Romney's upcoming tea party tour has political observers snickering and Democrats pointing and laughing. But Team Romney says there's nothing to see here.

Read more »

David Weprin

Gaffes Could Cost Democrats Anthony Weiner's Seat

Benjy Sarlin | August 31, 2011, 6:15AM

NY-09 candidates Bob Turner (R) and David Weprin (D)

Anthony Weiner's seat, which includes parts of Queens and Brooklyn, should be safe for Democrats, but the September 13 special election to replace him is proving surprisingly competitive. Democrat David Weprin is losing ground to Republican Bob Turner. Making matters worse for Democrats, Weprin has turned into a gaffe machine right as voters are tuning in for the final stretch.

The influential New York Daily News savaged Weprin over the weekend after he belly flopped on a simple question from their editors: what is the national debt? With a reported "deer in headlights" look, he twice guessed $4 trillion, about $10 trillion off from the correct answer. As cringe-worthy a moment as it was on its own, its impact is much worse in Weprin's case: he's been selling himself as a fiscal Mr. Fix-it, touting his eight years as chair of the City Council's finance committee as his top qualification.

Read more »

Super Committee

Why The Super Committee's New Tax Expert Could Be Key To Its Success

Brian Beutler | August 31, 2011, 6:10AM

Rep. Jeb Hensarling (R-TX)

It's a mistake to read much into the fact that the Super Committee picked a staff director, or that he's a long-serving Republican aide. There's a temptation to read deeply into these developments, but ultimately the 12 members of the Super Committee will either reach an accommodation or they will not, and that much is up to them.

On that score, it is interesting that the staff director, Democrat or Republican, has extensive knowledge of the tax code.

This goes back to the final hours of the debt limit deal. The Super Committee will draft legislation that CBO will score relative to current law. That means CBO will score whatever they produce as if expiration of ALL the Bush tax cuts expire at the end of 2012. Want to make Bush's lower-income and middle-class tax cuts permanent, and let the top bracket cuts expire? No can do. That scores as a big tax CUT -- and thus counts against the committee's goal of reducing the deficit by $1.5 trillion over 10 years.

Read more »

Wisconsin Recalls

The Wisconsin Recalls: Most Negative Campaign Ever (Really!)

Eric Kleefeld | August 31, 2011, 6:10AM

The recently-concluded Wisconsin state Senate recalls, in which Democrats came just shy of their uphill goal of winning a majority in a backlash against Gov. Scott Walker's anti-public employee union legislation, may have set a record. In addition to many millions of dollars and countless man-hours being expended -- resembling Congressional races at the federal level -- they were possibly the most negative campaigns on record in this country.

According to the Campaign Media Analysis Group, which is now headed up by former UW-Madison professor Ken Goldstein, the overall advertising on the pro-Democratic side weighed in at 99% negative, with 89% negativity on the pro-Republican side.

"People are always wanting to say, 'This campaign is the most negative!'" Goldstein told the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. "I'll say it. I've never seen a campaign more negative."

Read more »

2012

Romney Re-Do: From Inevitable Candidate To Fighting For Iowa

Kyle Leighton | August 31, 2011, 6:10AM

GOP Presidential Candidate Mitt Romney (MA)

Over the last week we've seen that the "inevitable candidate" strategy from former Mass. Gov. Mitt Romney will surely need recalibration -- mainly due to Rick Perry's arrival in the race. Where Perry has succeded in crafting both hype around his candidacy and real support amongst a wide section of the GOP base, Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN) has struggled to expand her appeal beyond the far right of the party, influential though it is.

But is Romney finished just because of a round of bad polls? Of course not. In fact, it's been reported that he'll now contest Iowa, something he had previously not committed to given his polling leads in New Hampshire, South Carolina and Nevada. That lead in South Carolina is now gone, according to two new polls, and it vanished within a few weeks of Perry entering the race. So now Romney may be in the fight for Iowa, and as such could make moves towards a new strategy. Sure, Romney was on soft ground as the frontrunner, but that ground doesn't immediately harden when Perry puts his feet down.

Read more »

Mitt Romney

Mitt Romney's Schedule Now Has Room For Jim DeMint

Evan McMorris-Santoro | August 30, 2011, 6:13PM

GOP Presidential Candidate Mitt Romney (MA)

Sen. Jim DeMint (R-SC) -- the one-time Mitt Romney presidential booster cum Romney presidential critic -- will soon stand near Romney once again.

Read more »

Christine O'Donnell

Christine O'Donnell Booted Off Tea Party Event With Sarah Palin

Benjy Sarlin | August 30, 2011, 3:59PM

Christine O'Donnell

Christine O'Donnell, back in the news this month promoting her new book, is no longer welcome at a Tea Party event with Sarah Palin this weekend.

O'Donnell was set to appear with Palin, who endorsed O'Donnell's 2010 Senate bid, at a rally in Indianola, IA. But officials at Tea Party of America, which is hosting the event, told the Wall Street Journal on Monday that they were dropping her. While the group's president cited scheduling problems as the cause, co-founder Charles Gruschow offered a very different explanation: backlash from local Tea Party activists upset over O'Donnell's inclusion.

"We decided not to have her speak," Gruschow said. "We felt it was in the best interest of the movement."

O'Donnell was a brief cause celebre for Tea Party activists in 2010, who helped her defeat heavily favored Rep. Mike Castle (R-DE) in a Senate primary before she was trounced in the general election by Democrat Chris Coons. But the magic seems to have faded after her defeat as her much-hyped book has only sold about 2,000 copies.

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2012

Mitt Romney To Attend First Big Tea Party Rally

Benjy Sarlin | August 30, 2011, 3:32PM

Mitt Romney

Mitt Romney will speak at a Tea Party Express rally in New Hampshire on Labor Day, his first appearance at a high profile event associated with the movement.

Romney's scheduled appearance, first reported on CNN, comes as he faces renewed pressure on his right flank thanks to Rick Perry's surging campaign. Perry was one of the earliest national politicians to jump on the grassroots bandwagon -- he made his famous "secession" comments at a Tea Party rally in April 2009 -- and is currently polling very well with self-identified Tea Partiers. He, Michele Bachmann, and Herman Cain will attend a forum with the Tea Party-leaning Sen. Jim DeMint (R-SC) in South Carolina on Labor Day.

Read more »

Wisconsin Protests

Local Wisconsin Mayor To Unions: Don't Kick GOP Out Of Labor Day Parade -- Or Pay The Costs

Eric Kleefeld | August 30, 2011, 1:21PM

The local AFL-CIO council in Wausau, Wisconsin, is getting some pushback for its decision to disinvite local Republican politicians from the upcoming Labor Day parade as a result of Gov. Scott Walker's anti-public employee union legislation. Now, the mayor of that city is demanding that the unions re-invite the Republicans -- or reimburse the city for the costs it has agreed to bear for the public event.

On Monday, Wausau Mayor Jim Tipple released the following statement:

The City is a co-sponsor of the Labor Day parade event, because we provided the payment for the insurance premium for the event, and we agreed to erect a stage and provide city services at no cost to the Marathon County Central Labor Council.

The banning of a political party from participation at any event co-sponsored by the City is against public policy and not in the best interest of all the citizens of the City of Wausau. And therefore, we encourage the event organizer to invite all interested parties, or reimburse the city for other costs.

In an interview with TPM, Tipple said that the city's costs for the parade could vary, based on the parade route, but typically range from $1,500-$2,000.

Read more »

Barack Obama

Obama Pushes Back Against GOP On Regulatory Costs

Susan Crabtree | August 30, 2011, 12:42PM

President Barack Obama

President Barack Obama on Tuesday pushed back against GOP charges that he is saddling the nation with costly and overly burdensome regulations. In fact, Obama argued, he has led the way in trying to reduce the federal government's regulatory costs on individuals and businesses across the country.

In a letter to House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH), Obama said his efforts to reduce the government's regulatory burden will save $10 billion over the next five years, adding that he hopes to find billions more in additional savings. Earlier this year, Obama issued an executive order imposing a series of requirements designed to reduce burdens and costs and called for a government-wide review of rules now on the books.

Read more »

Fox News

'Heckuva Job Brownie' Backs Eric Cantor's Penny Pinching Disaster Plan

Brian Beutler | August 30, 2011, 12:05PM

If you're trying to institute a new paradigm in the field of federal disaster relief, you could use a better ally than former FEMA Director Michael Brown, better known to most of you as "Heckuva Job" Brownie.

He's the former International Arabian Horse Association Commissioner and the guy many blame for bungling the federal response to Hurricane Katrina in 2005. He's also the first high-profile person in with experience in the field of disaster management to back the new GOP requirement that federal disaster aid be offset with federal spending cuts.

On Fox News Tuesday, Brown gave the policy his seal of approval.

Read more »

2012 Presidential Primaries

The Romney Ceiling: South Carolina Poll Shows Perry Taking Mitt's Moderate Base

Kyle Leighton | August 30, 2011, 11:35AM

Fmr. Gov. Mitt Romney (R-MA) and Gov. Rick Perry (R-TX)

With four national polls in the last week showing Texas Gov. Rick Perry ahead of the field in the race for the GOP presidential nomination, it looks more like the contention that former Mass. Gov. Mitt Romney was a weak frontrunner has proved true. But as the primary season prepares to kick into high gear, how has Perry moved to the front so quickly? Numbers released on Tuesday from a Public Policy Polling (D) poll of crucial primary state South Carolina tell the story not just of Perry's new dominance of conservative voters, and Romney's weakness on the right, but of more concern for him -- they show a real vulnerability in the center as well.

The fact that Perry is now dominating in South Carolina, a conservative state, is probably not news to campaign watchers. The PPP survey shows him with 36 percent of the potential vote, followed by Romney with 16 and Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN) at 13, the second poll in five days to show Perry with a big lead. But the crosstabs show that Romney, the presumed "moderate" candidate (or at least more moderate), cannot even defend his own turf in the middle of the GOP electorate in a conservative state. He faces an implacable right wing of the party, which is fully in Perry's column, and moderate sect that is willing to support Perry despite his more strident views.

Read more »

2012

Romney's Foreign Policy Speech Takes On 'The Harvard Faculty Lounge' And (Basically) Rick Perry

Benjy Sarlin | August 30, 2011, 11:19AM

GOP Presidential Candidate Mitt Romney (MA)

Mitt Romney took a pointed dig at Rick Perry in his own home state on Tuesday, alluding to his lack of business experience in an address to the Veterans of Foreign Wars in San Antonio.

"I am a conservative businessman," Romney told the VFW audience, which Perry had addressed the day before. "I have spent most of my life outside of politics, dealing with real problems in the real economy. Career politicians got us into this mess and they simply don't know how to get us out."

Romney has been playing up his private sector experience in the 2012 race, hoping to distinguish himself from fellow governor Perry, and it's likely the "career politicians" line is going to get a lot of spin before the race is over.

Romney began with a riff on the economy, but the audience was there for a foreign policy speech and that's what he delivered. Expanding on the themes of his "No Apologies" book, Romney repeatedly painted President Obama as a weak and ineffectual leader who kowtowed to tyrants.

The Obama administration, Romney said, "leaves us with the belief that America should become a lesser power. It flows from the conviction that if we are weak, tyrants will choose to be weak as well; that if we could just talk more, engage more, pass more U.N. resolutions, that peace will bill break out. That may be what they think in that Harvard faculty lounge, but it's not what they know on the battlefield."

But Romney crafted his anti-Obama message long before the president initiated a bombing campaign against Libya, which has all but destroyed dictator Moammar Qaddafi's regime and killed many of his family members. He also crafted it before the President ordered the death of Osama Bin Laden in an operation where he deliberately kept US ally Pakistan in the dark.

The president's increasingly hawkish resume sits uncomfortably with the "weak" message, but Romney did his best to square the circle. He detached Bin Laden's death from any White House action by playing up the Navy SEAL mission as a bipartisan affair, telling the crowd that "the final image that Osama bin Laden took with him straight to Hell" was not an elephant or donkey but an American flag. For Romney, it seems, that if on 9/11/01 we were all Americans, then on 5/2/11 we all ordered the Abottabad raid.

On Libya, Romney repeated a familiar GOP line that Obama had failed to explain the mission to the public or define its goals. Speaker Boehner has employed similar rhetoric, which has the benefit of appealing to both pro- and anti-intervention Republicans. Michele Bachmann and Ron Paul firmly opposed the NATO operation, while Romney supported the decision to attack Qaddafi's forces.

"Today, Qaddafi is on the run and we congratulate the Libyan people and the extraordinary professionalism of our men and women in the armed services," Romney said. "But when a president sends our men and women into harm's way, he must first explain their mission, define its success, plan for their victorious exit, provide them with the best weapons and armor in the world, and properly care for them when they come home." Unmentioned was the fact that so far not a single American soldier has died in the Libya operation.

While Romney pledged to cut waste in defense, he accused Obama of endangering the military by agreeing to "a budget process that could entail cutting defense spending by $850 billion." The number refers to the debt ceiling agreement between President Obama and House Republicans, which cuts defense spending $350 billion over the next decade but also includes a trigger that will automatically cut an additional $500 billion over the same period if a bipartisan committee can't agree to savings elsewhere. As Romney noted in the speech, incoming Defense Secretary Leon Panetta has warned the triggered cuts would be severe if enacted.

Perhaps the biggest takeaway from Romney and Perry's two VFW speeches is that the party does not have a clear post-Bush consensus on foreign policy at the moment beyond unconditional support for Israel and a general suspicion of international institutions. It's an economy-focused election so this isn't entirely surprising, but it also speaks to real disagreements within the GOP. Conservative commentators took note that Perry winked at both the more neoconservative and isolationist camps in the GOP in his VFW speech on Monday, condemning "military adventurism" while also calling on Americans to "renew our commitment to taking the fight to the enemy wherever they are before they strike at home." And that's nothing compared to some of the lower-tier candidates' contortions.

Super Committee

Top Republican Staffer To Serve As Staff Director For Super Committee

Brian Beutler | August 30, 2011, 11:08AM

Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA)

"Super Committee" co-chairs Rep. Jeb Hensarling (R-TX) and Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA) have announced that the panel's top staffer will be senior Republican Senate Finance Committee aide Mark Prater.

"The know-how and experience Mark brings to this difficult task is exactly what we agreed must be the top priority for the staff serving all the members of this Committee," Murray and Hensarling said in an official statement. "Mark has a well-earned reputation for being a workhorse who members of both parties have relied on. We look forward to working with him and are confident that his approach and expertise will be valuable as we weigh the difficult but necessary choices ahead."

Read more »

Eric Cantor

Napolitano Dismisses Cantor-Style 'Aid For Cuts' Plan

Ryan J. Reilly | August 30, 2011, 11:00AM

Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano

With Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA) insisting that funding the recovery from Hurricane Irene be offset with spending cuts, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said Tuesday that Congress should be focused on providing relief and not get caught up in political gridlock.

Read more »

WI-SEN

Wis. GOP Speaker Jeff Fitzgerald Running For Senate

Eric Kleefeld | August 30, 2011, 10:25AM

Assemblyman Jeff Fitzgerald (R-WI)

Another Republican has thrown his hat into the ring for the Wisconsin Senate seat being opened up by the retirement of Democratic Sen. Herb Kohl. And the latest candidate has a big name: State Assembly Speaker Jeff Fitzgerald -- who along with his brother, state Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald, and Gov. Scott Walker, has been instrumental in passing the anti-public employee union legislation that sparked the wave of protests, recall elections, and other big controversies in Wisconsin.

Fitzgerald confirmed his candidacy to the Wausau Daily Herald on Monday:

He said he would apply his experience in the Wisconsin Legislature to the Senate.

"We have the same problems here (in Wisconsin) as we have in D.C.," he said, citing excessive taxation as an example. He said the national debt must be brought under control and that "we need to start making stuff in this country."

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Dick Cheney

Cheney: I Don't Think Iraq Damaged Our Reputation Around The World

Jillian Rayfield | August 30, 2011, 9:44AM

In an interview with NBC's Matt Lauer on Tuesday, former Vice President Dick Cheney defended many of the most controversial decisions made during his tenure, including waterboarding ("the fact is it worked") and the decision to go to war in Iraq ("I think it was sound policy that dealt with a very serious problem").

"I don't think that it damaged our reputation around the world," Cheney said of Iraq. "I just don't believe that. I think critics here at home would argue that."

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Rick Perry

Clouds On The Horizon? Rick Perry Faces Barrage Of Negative Headlines

Evan McMorris-Santoro | August 30, 2011, 6:20AM

Texas Gov. Rick Perry

The polls show Texas Gov. Rick Perry is the clear frontrunner at the moment when it comes to Republican support in the presidential nomination fight. But as he treads further into the center stage, Perry's facing down growing media scrutiny -- especially over his own past statements.

How he plays this next phase of his campaign will be key to his viability over the long haul -- if Perry ignores the growing questions about his record, he risks damaging the electability quotient that has helped rocket him ahead of Michele Bachmann by appealing more to Republicans beyond the Tea Party. But if he bows too much to critics, shifting his stances to be more in line with a mainstream electorate, he risks alienating those Tea Partiers who are still the voters Republicans running for president are afraid of.

So far, it seems that Perry is sticking with the Tea Party and letting the attacks fall where they will.

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FAA

Powerful Union Escalates Campaign Against GOP Push To Weaken Unions On Threat Of FAA Shutdown

Brian Beutler | August 30, 2011, 6:15AM

A powerful union will escalate a fight with Republicans over the party's push to make it harder for rail and airline workers to unionize.

This week, the Communications Workers of America will launch direct mail and robocall campaigns against the GOP's top transportation policy maker, and about two dozen other GOP members of the House of Representatives, according to officials.

The campaign stems from a months-long fight over legislation to permanently reauthorize Federal Aviation Administration programs. House Republicans want to use that bill to fiddle with mediation rules, so that airline workers who abstain from voting on whether to form a union would be tallied as having voted "no."

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Sarah Palin

Who Doomed Sarah Palin's Presidential Dream?

Benjy Sarlin | August 30, 2011, 6:15AM

Sarah Palin

Sarah Palin is expected to make up her mind about a presidential campaign by the end of September, but it's not clear it matters much either way. Polls show relatively few Republicans clamoring for a Palin run on a national level as the one-time supernova is eclipsed by a crowded presidential contest and an array of new rising stars. About two-thirds of Republicans say they're satisfied with the current primary field.

It feels as if Palin's fabled 2012 run, a source of fervent speculation since before the 2008 contest even ended, has already gone out with a whimper. Palin is polarizing even within her own party and has shown little indication she can reverse the nation's long-settled perception of her as a media phenomenon with little appeal outside her limited fan base.

But how did she end up this way? And who is to blame? Here's a look at five of the leading culprits.

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Barack Obama

President Obama's Uncle Arrested And Held As An Illegal Immigrant

Jillian Rayfield | August 29, 2011, 5:32PM

President Barack Obama (D)

An uncle of President Obama was arrested in Framingham, MA last week for drunk driving, and detained as an illegal immigrant, according to CNN.

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Michele Bachmann

Michele Bachmann Memoir To Be Published This November

Evan McMorris-Santoro | August 29, 2011, 4:43PM

Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN)

Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN) will parlay the national fame she's built on the presidential campaign trail into what might be the next political best-seller.

The AP reports Bachmann has signed a deal with Sentinel, the conservative subsidiary of Penguin Books, to publish a memoir this November.

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Libya

Schumer Wants More Proof That Lockerbie Bomber is Near Death

Susan Crabtree | August 29, 2011, 4:27PM

Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY)

Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) wants more proof from Libyan officials to back up their claims that Lockerbie bomber Abdel Baset al-Megrahi is too incapacitated to be turned over to the U.S. government.

The Libyan National Transitional Council, or NTC, last night said al-Megrahi is in a coma and they have no intention of turning over the convicted terrorist.

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Jon Bruning

Nebraska AG Jon Bruning's Land Deal With Student Loan Execs Under Scrutiny

Benjy Sarlin | August 29, 2011, 3:03PM

As he gears up his Senate run, Nebraska Attorney General Jon Bruning (R) is drawing heavy attention in the local press for his business dealings.

Last week the Omaha World-Herald dug into Bruning's finances, noting that he owns stakes in various businesses ranging from $12 million to $61 million in total value, while also owing high debt between $10 and $35 million to fund his investments, all accrued during a career as a public servant. Now, Democrats are pouncing on a follow-up story about a real estate deal he cut with the help of executives from a student loan company that he crossed paths with as attorney general.

In 2008, Bruning joined two executives from the company, Nelnet, to purchase a $675,000 lake house. But only a year earlier, he was embroiled in a controversy surrounding the same company when he waived a $1 million settlement with Nelnet over improper business practices. After critics pointed out that Nelnet execs had showered him with $16,000 in donations, he backed off the move.

"To me, it's incredibly tone deaf," Paul Johnson, campaign manager for Sen. Ben Nelson (D-NE), whose seat Bruning is running for, told the World-Herald.

Bruning told the paper he has been friends with the executives in question for years and there is no conflict of interest since the company is not under investigation.

2012

Michele Bachmann's Very Own 'Whitey' Tape Turns Out To Be A Dud

Thomas Lane | August 29, 2011, 2:58PM

Remember the 'Whitey Tape" rumor from 2008? The gist was that a video was secretly in circulation featuring Michelle Obama badmouthing "whitey." The blogosphere was alight with fears (or on some ends, hopes) that it would be released at a critical moment and swing the election towards John McCain.

The tape never emerged.

However, Monday the internet was aflame yet again with an apparent "whitey" tape -- this time featuring not Michelle Obama, but Michele Bachmann.

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WI-SEN

GOPer Mark Neumann Announces Senate Campaign In Wisconsin

Eric Kleefeld | August 29, 2011, 1:56PM

Former Rep. Mark Neumann (R-WI)

Former Rep. Mark Neumann (R-WI) officially launched his campaign for U.S. Senate Monday, setting up a likely Republican primary against the more moderate former Gov. Tommy Thompson.

Neumann announced his campaign in an interview with conservative talk radio host Charlie Sykes, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports. Neumann's likely opponent Thompson has been gearing up for the race, and has already been attacked by the conservative group the Club For Growth.

Some of Neumann's former aides now work at the Club For Growth, though Neumann said in the interview that he would not have any control over what the group does. "They support conservative candidates. We hope they'll support us," Neumann said of the Club. And regarding his former staffers, he said: "They are conservative people and they are dedicated to reducing wasteful spending."

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Tea Party Express

Tea Party Express Kicks Off Bus Tour To 'Reclaim America'

David Taintor | August 29, 2011, 1:33PM

Anti-tea party protesters attended the Tea Party Express' rally in Napa, California.

Fresh off conservative criticism of President Obama's Midwest bus tour, the Tea Party Express is kicking its own tires. Leading up to the CNN/Tea Party Express Republican presidential debate Sept. 10, the tea party group on Saturday launched a bus tour in Napa, California.

"We want Washington to live within its means, just like we do," Tea Party Express chairwoman Amy Kremer told Reuters. "We're in an economic downfall. Meanwhile, politicians are busy attending cocktail parties instead of focusing on the issues."

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Mitt Romney

Romney: I'm Only Doubling My House, Technically

Benjy Sarlin | August 29, 2011, 1:25PM

GOP Presidential Candidate Mitt Romney (R-MA)

The size of the gigantic family compound set to rise like a phoenix from the ashes of Mitt Romney's $12 million teardown in California has been exaggerated in the press, according to Romney.

Sort of, at least. Romney told the publisher of the New Hampshire Union Leader, Joe McQuaid, that while the square footage of the new estate will -- as reported -- nearly quadruple in size once construction is complete, the number is misleading because it includes the garage and basement. According to McQuaid, Romney merely shrugged when pressed why he didn't try and correct the record more aggressively.

Depending on what he does with the place, Romney's "living space" versus "nonliving space" distinction may be somewhat blurry. If MTV Cribs has taught us anything, it's that basements in homes with eight-digit property values are more than just a dank storage pit.

h/t Politico

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Rick Perry

Rick Perry: Social Security Is, In Fact, A Ponzi Scheme

Evan McMorris-Santoro | August 29, 2011, 12:30PM

Rick Perry

Sometimes campaign spin works to distance a candidate from his controversial past statements. And sometimes the candidate comes back and makes a hash of all the work his staff has done for him.

We could be witnessing the latter scenario when it comes to Texas Gov. Rick Perry (R) and one of the nation's most popular government programs. Last week, Perry's campaign spokesperson took to the Wall Street Journal to help back Perry off the less election-friendly sections of his book, Fed Up!. That includes Perry's suggestion that Social Security is an unconstitutional scheme which should be privatized post-haste.

Over the weekend, Perry walked all that back and fired off some more fiery rhetoric about the perils of the entitlement program that most Americans do not want to see changed.

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Eric Cantor

Cantor: Hurricane Disaster Relief Will Have To Be Offset With Program Cuts (VIDEO)

Brian Beutler | August 29, 2011, 12:19PM

As expected, House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA) will try to see to it that federal disaster aid to regions damaged by Hurricane Irene be offset by concomitant cuts to other federal programs.

"Yes there's a federal role, yes we're going to find the money -- we're just going to need to make sure that there are savings elsewhere to continue to do so," Cantor told Fox News on Monday.

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2012 Presidential Primaries

Santorum: The Gay Community Is On A 'Jihad' Against Me

Eric Kleefeld | August 29, 2011, 11:43AM

Rick Santorum at the Iowa Faith & Freedom Coalition's Spring Kickoff Event

Rick Santorum really does not like the political activism that gay people have launched against him, ever since his 2003 remarks comparing the legalization of gay sex and gay marriage to pedophilia, bestiality and incest.

"So the gay community said, 'He's comparing gay sex to incest and polygamy, how dare he do this,' and they have gone out on a, I would argue, jihad against Rick Santorum since then," Santorum said at a campaign event in Spartanburg, S.C., on Friday, The Hill reports.

There is a certain irony here, in that radical Islamists -- like Santorum himself -- would want to see homosexuality outlawed. And it is Santorum's prior remarks on that subject that have led to the situation that he is complaining about.

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Michele Bachmann

Michele Bachmann's Hurricane Irene Joke (VIDEO)

Evan McMorris-Santoro | August 29, 2011, 11:28AM

Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN)

While much of the eastern seaboard dries out from Hurricane Irene, Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN) has found herself in hot water over the claim she made in Florida over the weekend that the storm and last week's historic earthquake were sent by God to wake up politicians in Washington to the views of the tea party.

Bachmann's campaign says the whole thing was a joke, and that's certainly how CNN played it this morning.

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Alan Krueger

Obama Taps Krueger As Top Economic Adviser

Susan Crabtree | August 29, 2011, 11:18AM

Alan Krueger

President Barack Obama Monday announced his selection of Princeton economist Alan Krueger as his choice to succeed Austan Goolsbee as chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers.

Krueger served as the top economist at the Treasury Department during the first two years of Obama's presidency and previously as Assistant Secretary for Economic Policy at the Labor Department during the Clinton administration.

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Republicans

Cantor Jobs Memo Calls For Repeal Of Health, Environment, Labor Rules -- And For More Tax Cuts

Brian Beutler | August 29, 2011, 10:34AM

Rep. John Boehner (R-OH) and Rep. Eric Cantor (R-VA) with members of the Republican House leadership

When Congress returns from recess, House Republicans will begin a continuous assault on a series of health, environmental and labor regulations, which they say are hampering job creation. And they'll twin it with two tax cuts for both large and small businesses. One of those cuts will actually be aimed at preventing a scheduled tax increase -- but it's not the payroll tax cut President Obama has asked Congress to extend.

In a memo to members, House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA) laid out a list of 10 rules, most of which have yet to be implemented, which they'll seek to prevent week by week. These include regulations that would limit the amount of mercury and other toxins boiler and incinerator operators can burn into the atmosphere; that could make it easier for workers to unionize; and that assure that employer insurance policies exempted from new health care law -- so-called "grandfathered" plans -- meet the law's basic requirements and aren't gamed by employers to reduce workers' existing benefits.

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2012 elections

Democracy On Their Terms: Republicans Lock Down Town Halls To Stifle Critics

Evan McMorris-Santoro | August 29, 2011, 10:16AM

Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI)

Starting in 2009, the current Republican Congressional majority rode into power on a wave of voter frustration voiced through organized protest at town halls. So it's perhaps out of fear that the same thing will happen to their majority in 2012 that Republicans found new and novel ways to stifle the voices of constituents who might criticize them.

All across the country, Republican members of Congress have done their best to duck their critics this August, traditionally the month when town halls can become heated and policy agendas shifted. But with congressional and Republican approval ratings way, way down, it seems the GOP is preoccupied with quieting those who might criticize them over facing the music back home.

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Polls

Tea Party Unfavorability Jumps In New AP Poll

Kyle Leighton | August 29, 2011, 10:02AM

It seems that the Tea Party's governing style, most clearly on display during the debt ceiling fight in Congress, has taken a toll on Americans' view of the movement. Polls have been showing a drop in its approval, and a new AP/GfK poll shows that its unfavorable rating has seen a sharp rise. 46 percent of those surveyed said they have a negative view of the Tea Party movement, versus 28 who say they view it favorably.

The last time the AP conducted a national poll on Americans' favorability of Tea Partiers was in their pre-governing period: throughout 2010 the conservative movement was viewed slightly unfavorably but the splits were close. In June of 2010 it even earned a positive rating, with 33 percent of over 1,000 adults surveyed finding the movement favorable against 30 percent. In the last AP rating, taken Nov. 3-8, 2010, directly after the 2010 election, the split stood at a slim negative rating of 32 percent favorable against 36 unfavorable.

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Michele Bachmann

Bachmann Campaign: Bachmann Spoke 'In Jest' When She Said God Was Communicating Via Earthquakes And Hurricanes

Evan McMorris-Santoro | August 29, 2011, 9:44AM

Michele Bachmann

Rep. Michele Bachmann's (R-MN) presidential campaign says critics are making much ado about nothing when it comes to her viral quote stating last week's East Coast earthquake and hurricane was a message from God to overspending DC politicians.

"Obviously she was saying it in jest," campaign spokesperson Alice Stewart told TPM in a statement.

The quote, made by Bachmann at a Florida campaign rally over the weekend, is making headlines across the Internet and TV.

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Wisconsin Protests

Labor Council In Wisconsin Tells GOPers To Stay Away From Local Labor Day Parade

Eric Kleefeld | August 29, 2011, 9:43AM

It seems not even the annual Labor Day parades are immune from partisan polarization in Wisconsin, in the wake of the political battles over Gov. Scott Walker's anti-public employee union legislation. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports Republican politicians in the Wausau area have been told to stay away from this year's parade.

"Usually they've been in the parade, but it seems like they only want to stand with us one day a year, and the other 364 days they don't really care," said Randy Radtke, president of the Marathon County Central Labor Council, which organizes the parade.

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Michele Bachmann

Michele Bachmann: Earthquake, Irene Were A Wake Up Call From God For Politicians

Evan McMorris-Santoro | August 29, 2011, 8:26AM

Michele Bachmann

For someone who began her political career mixing fundamentalist religion and public policy, Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN) has done a decent job keeping questions about her faith at bay during her presidential campaign.

Until now.

Speaking to a crowd in Florida over the weekend, Bachmann said the historic earthquake and massive hurricane that rocked the East Coast last week was a message that God is upset with the way politicians in Washington have been doing things. The interview with the St. Petersburg Times grabbed the quote:

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Hurricane Irene

Why Republicans Might Demand Hurricane Relief Be Paid For With More Program Cuts

Brian Beutler | August 29, 2011, 6:15AM

House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA)

When a massive tornado obliterated the town of Joplin, Missouri earlier this year, House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA) told reporters that if the disaster ultimately required the government to step in and provide aid, it would have to be offset by cutting spending on other federal programs.

"If there is support for a supplemental, it would be accompanied by support for having pay-fors to that supplemental," he said, using the anodyne language of budget policy.

Three months later, when a modest earthquake struck the town of Mineral, Virginia in his own district, and caused minor, but widespread damage along the eastern seaboard, Cantor upheld the standard. Congress, he said, "will find the monies" to help victims, but that "those monies will be offset with appropriate savings or cost-cutting elsewhere."

Now, in the wake of Hurricane Irene -- a much costlier natural disaster -- Cantor may make the same demand, which could touch off a bitter fight on Capitol Hill.

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