Roundup

TPMDC Morning Roundup

Eric Kleefeld | October 23, 2009, 9:02AM

NYT: Behind The White House Vs. Fox News Fight
The New York Times reports on the White House-Fox News feud, and how it followed an unsuccessful attempt by senior adviser David Axelrod and Fox head Roger Ailes to work out their problems. "We simply decided to stop abiding by the fiction, which is aided and abetted by the mainstream press, that Fox is a traditional news organization," said deputy White House communications director Dan Pfeiffer.

Obama's Day Ahead
President Obama will depart form the White House at 10:05 a.m. ET, arriving in Boston at 11:30 a.m. ET. He will tour a research laboratory at MIT, at 12 p.m. ET, and will deliver remarks on clean energy at 12:30 p.m. ET. He will deliver remarks at a fundraising reception for Gov. Deval Patrick at 2:05 p.m. ET, and will speak at a fundraising event for Patrick at 2:45 p.m. ET. He will depart from Boston at 3:40 p.m. ET, arriving at 4:35 p.m. ET in New York City. He will join Sen. Chris Dodd (D-CT), and tour a small business at 5:15 p.m. ET. He will deliver remarks at a Dodd fundraising dinner at 6:45 p.m. ET. He will depart from New York at 8 p.m. ET, arriving back at the White House at 9:10 p.m. ET.

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Chris Dodd

Dodd: I'll Be Running Leaner And Meaner (Without A Prostate)

Eric Kleefeld | July 31, 2009, 2:26PM

At his press conference just now, Sen. Chris Dodd (D-CT) made it clear that despite his early-stage cancer diagnosis, he will still be running for re-election in 2010.

"I'm running for re-election. Now I'll be a little meaner and a little meaner, but I'm running," said Dodd.

He explained that he'll be a bit lighter, too: "I'll be running without a prostate."

Dodd also said that he's known for weeks about his diagnosis, and was working out a course of treatment, and did not go public because he did not want to make himself an exhibit in the health care debate that he was working on. "It's not about me," said Dodd. "It's about people who are without health care."

That may have been Dodd's intention. But the fact is, now that he has gone public, he is an exhibit in the debate, and his illness is sure to be brought up in future discussions.

Late Update: In a new Twitter post, Dodd incorporates the political angle to all this: "I'd like to thank you all for your prayers and well wishes. I'm going to be fine. We caught this early thanks to my great health insurance."

Chris Dodd

Poll: Dodd Trails Simmons By Nine Points

Eric Kleefeld | July 23, 2009, 9:10AM

A new Quinnipiac poll finds Sen. Chris Dodd (D-CT) continuing to lag in his 2010 re-election bid.

The numbers: Republican former Rep. Rob Simmons 48%, Dodd 39%, compared to a 45%-39% Simmons lead from two months ago.

Against the other Republicans in the race, Dodd edges state Sen. Sam Caligiuri by 42%-40%, essentially the same as a 41%-39% Dodd lead two months ago. Dodd is tied 42%-42% with former U.S. Ambassador to Ireland Tom Foley, an improvement from a 43%-35% Foley lead two months ago. Dodd leads financial writer Peter Schiff by 43%-38%, with no prior Quinnipiac poll for comparison. The margin of error is ±2.5%.

From the pollster's analysis: "Sen. Dodd's numbers among Democrats are back to where they used to be with over 70 percent of Democrats approving of his job performance and backing his reelection bid. Perhaps Dodd's visibility in helping with President Barack Obama's agenda has brought some wavering Democrats home. But he still is struggling with Independents, who will be harder to win back than his own partisans."

Barack Obama

TPMDC Morning Roundup

Eric Kleefeld | June 29, 2009, 8:59AM

Obama Opposes Trade Penalties In Climate Bill
President Obama has come out against a provision of the climate-change bill that passed the House on Friday, which would impose tariffs on other countries that don't accept limits on pollution. "At a time when the economy worldwide is still deep in recession and we've seen a significant drop in global trade," Obama told reporters, "I think we have to be very careful about sending any protectionist signals out there."

Obama's Day Ahead
President Obama will meet one-on-one with President Alvaro Uribe of Colombia, at 2:15 p.m. ET, with an expanded meeting at 2:45 p.m. ET. At 4:25 p.m. ET, President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama will host a reception for LGBT Pride Month. At 7:15 p.m. ET, Obama will attend a reception for National Finance Committee members.

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Chris Dodd

Dodd Ad Features "Shout-Out" From Obama

Eric Kleefeld | May 29, 2009, 1:58PM

Here's the new TV ad from Sen. Chris Dodd (D-CT), one of the most vulnerable Congressional Democrats going into the 2010 elections, featuring President Obama praising Dodd's work on the credit card bill:

"I want to give a special shout-out to Chris Dodd," we hear Obama saying during the bill-signing, "who has been a relentless fighter to get this done."

The latest Quinnipiac poll of Connecticut gives Dodd an approval rating of only 38%, with 53% disapproval. By contrast, Obama's numbers are currently at 71%-22%. So clearly, Obama was doing Dodd a big favor with the shout-out -- and Dodd is taking the obvious next step to repair his own brand with the help of a much stronger one.

Chris Dodd

Poll: Dodd's Number Improving In Connecticut -- But Still Lousy

Eric Kleefeld | May 27, 2009, 9:41AM

The new Quinnipiac poll of Connecticut shows Chris Dodd continuing to struggle in his 2010 re-election bid -- though he might actually be improving from his previous doldrums.

Dodd trails former GOP Congressman Rob Simmons by a margin of 45%-39%, and Dodd edges out state Sen. Sam Caligiuri by 41%-39%, within the ±2.5% margin of error. In early April, Simmons led Dodd by 50%-34%, and Caligiuri was ahead by 41%-37%.

One number shows that Dodd still has a lot of weakness among the Democratic base: Against his primary challenger, businessman and first-time candidate Merrick Alpert, Dodd only has a lead of 44%-24%, with the incumbent below 50% against an unknown.

From the pollster's analysis: "Sen. Christopher Dodd's numbers are getting better but they are still lousy. He still has high negatives: About half of the voters don't trust Dodd and disapprove of the job he is doing. And he is still behind Simmons in a general election matchup."

Barack Obama

TPMDC Morning Roundup

Eric Kleefeld | April 17, 2009, 9:00AM

WaPo: Banks Seek To Pay Back TARP -- But Are Taking Other Government Money
The Washington Post reports that J.P. Morgan and other major banks are seeking to repay TARP money, which CEO Jamie Dimon called a "scarlet letter." On the other hand, the company is seeking to repay TARP money while still benefiting from other federal programs, which have in fact paid out even more money. Says the Post: "Other large banks are attempting the same combination of breakup and embrace."

Obama At The Summit Of The Americas
President Obama is in Trinidad today, attending this weekend's Summit of the Americas. The gathering of Western Hemisphere leaders will address such issues as the drug war, global warming, and the economy. And as the Associated Press points out, the biggest job Obama will have will be to just improve relations with America's neighbors, after the tumult of the Bush years.

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Chris Dodd

DSCC Chair Menendez "Absolutely" Supports Dodd, Predicts Re-Election

Eric Kleefeld | April 2, 2009, 1:04PM

The Hill reports that DSCC chairman Bob Menendez is fully standing behind Chris Dodd and predicts he'll be re-elected, despite the poll this morning showing Dodd behind Republican candidate Rob Simmons in a landslide:

Q: "Does the DSCC still support Chris whole-heartedly in light of these new numbers, and do they surprise you?"

Menendez: "Are you serious? Chris Dodd is going to be re-elected. He's a great senator."

Q: "So the DSCC still supports him all the way?"

Menendez: "Absolutely."

CT-SEN

Poll: Dodd Way Behind, Thanks To AIG Scandal

Eric Kleefeld | April 2, 2009, 9:36AM

The new Quinnipiac poll from Connecticut has some truly ghastly numbers for Chris Dodd in the wake of the AIG bonus scandal, with him trailing former Republican Congressman Rob Simmons by a whopping 50%-34% margin, running behind GOP state Sen. Sam Caliguiri by 41%-37%, and trailing possible GOP candidate Tom Foley, a businessman, by 43%-35%.

Only 33% of registered voters approve of Dodd's performance as a Senator, with 58% disapproving. When asked whether they approve of Dodd's performance as Senate Banking Committee chairman, only 21% of registered voters approve, and 69% disapprove. Only 32% agree that he is honest and trustworthy, with 54% saying he is not.

On the bonuses themselves, 39% say they blame Dodd "a lot," and 35% blame him "some." And when asked who deserves the most blame for the bonuses, Dodd is in a statistical tie for first with George W. Bush: Bush 28%, Dodd 27%, Tim Geithner 20%, and 7% Barack Obama.

A Democratic source tells TPM that Dodd will improve as he regains support among Democratic voters, and that people are going to have a lot of negative reactions this close to the AIG scandal. We'll see what future polls have in store.

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CT-SEN

Poll: Dodd Narrowly Ahead For 2010

Eric Kleefeld | March 26, 2009, 5:23PM

A new Research 2000 poll gives Chris Dodd a five-point lead, 45%-40% over former Rep. Rob Simmons -- a somewhat surprising result, given the current media coverage over the AIG bonuses, and Dodd's role in putting in the loophole that restricted executive pay but didn't make it retroactive.

A Quinnipiac poll from two weeks ago, before the bonuses ever became an issue, gave Simmons a one-point edge of 43%-42%. Granted, we are in apples-and-oranges territory when reviewing polls from different outfits, but one would have expected worse numbers for Dodd after the AIG story broke.

Of course, Dodd is helped by the fact that he's in a state that in recent years has voted Democratic for everything except the governorship (plus a recent Senate win by the Connecticut for Lieberman Party). So it's not a bad field for him to be playing on.

CT-SEN

DSCC Launches Anti-Bush Strategy To Attack Simmons

Eric Kleefeld | March 16, 2009, 11:15AM

The DSCC has just sent out a press release against former Rep. Rob Simmons (R-CT), who has declared his candidacy against Chris Dodd in 2010. And one thing is clear: Democrats are going to keep running against George W. Bush for years to come.

The statement begins with a Simmons quote from 2004: "I am a big fan of the president's and I am quite proud to be a Republican, and agree with him on many issues." The rest of the release then goes on to link Simmons to Tom DeLay and Jack Abramoff, on top of the George W. Bush link.

Simmons held his House seat for three terms, but then lost re-election by a margin of 83 votes out of over 240,000, in the big Democratic year of 2006. A recent Quinnipiac poll gave him a 43%-42% edge over Dodd. So expect the Dems to make this race about Bush as much they can -- after all, it sure worked across the whole country in 2006 and 2008.

Full DSCC statement after the jump.

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Budget

TPMDC Morning Roundup

Eric Kleefeld | March 16, 2009, 9:00AM

Obama To Use Campaign Infrastructure To Build Support For Budget
President Obama and the Democratic National Committee will be leveraging Obama's 13-million name e-mail list in order to mobilize support for Obama's budget proposal. From the Washington Post: "Aides familiar with the plan said it is an unprecedented attempt to transfer the grass-roots energy built during the presidential campaign into an effort to sway Congress."

Obama's Day Ahead
President Obama and Treasury Sec. Tim Geithner will be meeting at 11:25 a.m. ET with small business owners and community leaders. Obama and Geithner will deliver remarks to the group and members of Congress at 12 p.m. ET. At 2 p.m. ET, Obama will speak at the Department of Veterans Affairs.

Biden's Day Ahead
Vice President Biden will be speaking this afternoon at the International Association of Fire Fighters 2009 Legislative Conference. In the evening, Biden will attend an event for the Democratic National Committee, where he will be speaking.

Obama To Roll Out Small Business Aid Plan
At their White House event today, President Obama and Sec. Geithner will announce plan to help small business. The plan will include lower small-business lending fees, as well as an increase on the government guarantees for some Small Business Administration loans, and other steps aimed at unlocking the credit markets.

Poll: Economy Is Top Issue, And Unemployment Is Top Economic Issue
A new CNN poll finds 36% of Americans saying unemployment is the single most important economic issue -- compared to 13% last April, when the biggest economic issue during a time of rising gas prices was inflation. Overall, 63% say the economy is their top concern.

Simmons Running Against Dodd
Former Rep. Rob Simmons (R-CT) has announced that he is running for Senate against Chris Dodd in 2010. Simmons lost re-election by less than 100 votes in the 2006 Democratic wave, but a recent Quinnipiac poll gave him a 43%-42% edge over the embattled Dodd.

GOP Spending Big In Special Election For Gillibrand's House Seat
The Hill reports that the Republicans are investing heavily in the special election for Kirsten Gillibrand's former House seat, where the polls are showing just a small lead for GOP candidate Jim Tedisco (after he'd previously held a much larger one). In all, 82 members of the GOP conference have agreed to donate to Tedisco's campaign, and both John Boehner and Eric Cantor have held fundraisers for him.

Barack Obama

TPMDC Morning Roundup

Eric Kleefeld | March 12, 2009, 9:00AM

Michael Steele: I Am Pro-Life
Michael Steele is sharply walking back a statement in his GQ interview that seemed to indicate he agreed abortion is an individual choice, and that it should be left to the states. "I support our platform and its call for a Human Life Amendment," said Steele. "It is important that we stand up for the defenseless and that we continue to work to change the hearts and minds of our fellow countrymen so that we can welcome all children and protect them under the law."

Obama And Biden Addressing Stimulus Implementation Today
President Obama and Vice President Biden are both speaking at the Recovery Act Implementation Conference, held at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building at 11 a.m. ET. At 1:10 p.m. ET, Obama will speak at the dedication of Abraham Lincoln Hall at the National Defense University. At 2:30 p.m. ET, Obama and Biden will be meeting with Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi. President Obama will be speaking to the Business Roundtable at 4 p.m., and then he and Biden will meet with Hillary Clinton at 5:15 p.m. ET.

Geithner To Defend Obama Budget In Senate Committee
Tim Geithner will be speaking at 10 a.m. ET before the Senate Budget Committee, promoting President Obama's plan. Geithner is expected to get tough questions on several topics, most notably Obama's proposal to restrict deductions for top-earners.

Rove Blasts White House For Attacking Limbaugh
In his latest Wall St. Journal column, Karl Rove lambastes the Obama White House for attacking Rush Limbaugh. "In the face of our enormous economic challenges, top White House aides decided to pee on Mr. Limbaugh's leg," writes Rove. "This is a political luxury the country cannot afford, and which Mr. Obama would be wise to forbid. Or did he not mean it when he ran promising to "turn the page" on the "old" politics?"

New DNC Slogan: "Americans Didn't Vote For A Rush To Failure"
The Democratic National Committee will be rolling out a new slogan today: "Americans didn't vote for a Rush to failure." The slogan was the winner of an online contest, and will be displayed on a billboard in Limbaugh's hometown of West Palm Beach, Florida.

TSA Reviewing Vitter's Alleged Airport Rage Incident
The Transportation Security Administration is reviewing the reported airport rage incident by Sen. David Vitter (R-LA). Vitter has admitted that he opened the gateway door to his plane after it had been closed, and that he had a "conversation" with an airline employee, but denies it having been the angry confrontation reported by Roll Call.

Lieberman: I'm Supporting Dodd's Re-Election
Joe Lieberman told The Hill that he is supporting Chris Dodd's re-election campaign, and has gotten over his disappointment at Dodd's active campaigning for Ned Lamont in the 2006 general election. "We have a long relationship that goes back 40 years," said Lieberman. "That's over. I'm going forward."

Poll: Corzine Trails By Nine In New Jersey
A new Quinnipiac poll shows Gov. Jon Corzine (D-NJ) trailing former U.S. Attorney Chris Christie for this November's election, the likely Republican nominee, by a margin of 46%-37%. Democrats normally have the edge in New Jersey, but Corzine's numbers are currently dragged down with an approval rating of only 40%, and disapproval of 50% -- though on the other hand, Christie has yet to face the inevitable political attacks that he was a Bush Administration appointee.

Budget

TPMDC Morning Roundup

Eric Kleefeld | March 10, 2009, 9:01AM

Omnibus Could Pass Today
The Senate is expected to vote today on the omnibus spending bill, with the Democratic leadership claiming they now have enough crossover Republican support -- and assurances from some wavering Democrats -- to cross the 60-vote threshold. Notably, Sen. Bill Nelson (D-FL) said that Treasury officials have compromised on proposed changes to Cuba policy.

Obama's Day Ahead
President Obama is speaking at 9:45 a.m. ET to the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce's 19th Annual Legislative Conference. At 3:30 p.m. he will be meeting with the New Democrat Coalition, the caucus of centrist Democrats in Congress. Then at 5:30 p.m. ET he will meet with U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.

Biden Meeting With NATO, European Leaders
Vice President Biden has been spending the day in Brussels, Belgium, meeting with NATO and European leaders. He met at 4 a.m. ET with Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer; at 4:30 a.m. ET he met with a NATO session; and at 7:20 a.m. ET he and de Hoop Scheffer held a press conference. At 8:35 a.m. he met with members of the European Union; at 10:05 a.m. ET he will meet with Belgian Prime Minister Prime Minister Herman van Rompuy; and at 11:05 a.m. he will meet with the Non-NATO International Security Assistance Force.

Dean Challenges GOP: "Be My Guest" And Filibuster Health Care
In an interview with the Washington Times, Howard Dean warned Republicans that serious political backlash will await if they block President Obama's health care plan: "They called Medicare socialized medicine. If they want to filibuster this to death, be my guest and let's see how they do in 2010." He also had this to say about the Rush Limbaugh controversies: "You expect people to have fun, and it was fun, but enough is enough. The reason it's fun is because it's true."

Poll: Dodd Trails By One Point
A new Quinnipiac poll in Connecticut shows Chris Dodd down by one point against former GOP Rep. Rob Simmons, with a high undecided number: Simmons 43%, Dodd 42%, within the ±2.8% margin of error. Against right-wing economist/pundit Larry Kudlow, who is reportedly looking at the race, Dodd leads 46%-34%.

Shuler Not Running For Senate
Rep. Heath Shuler (D-NC) has announced through his spokesman that he is not running for U.S. Senate against incumbent Republican Richard Burr in 2010. Burr has proven to be a strong vote-getter in a conservative region of his state, but has also clashed with Democratic leaders and voted against the stimulus bill.

McCain Doesn't Want Obama To Fail, But Says White House Is "Lurching"
In an interview with the Politico, John McCain said these are "terrible, perilous" times for the economy, and that "I don't want him [President Obama] to fail in his mission of restoring our economy." However, he also continued to criticize the administration's policies thus far: "There is no clear message. They're just sort of lurching from one crisis to another, and that's the perception the American people have."

Vogel Named DCCC Executive Director
The DCCC has announced that political strategist Jon Vogel has been named as the organization's new Executive Director. Vogel previously led the DCCC's independent expenditure arm in 2008, running ad campaigns that helped pick up 24 seats, and in 2006 he served as Northeastern and Florida Regional Political Director.