Parker Griffith

Alabama Republican Pol Slams Parker Griffith's Switch From Dems To GOP

Eric Kleefeld | December 24, 2009, 2:06PM

Rep. Parker Griffith (R-AL)

Rep. Parker Griffith, the Alabama Congressman who switched from the Democrats to the Republicans this week, is now being denounced by none other than a statewide Republican elected official in his home state.

The Huntsville Times reports that State Treasurer Kay Ivey, who is also a candidate for governor, is openly doubting Griffith's sincerity: "Political self-preservation isn't a virtue. In fact, political expediency is an insult to every grassroots activist who commits untold hours in devotion to getting candidates elected."

Griffith is already facing challengers in the Republican primary,
and some big-name conservative activists are calling for his defeat. In previous years of his political career, Griffith had declared that he was for "health care for all of the citizens," and he'd also donated to Howard Dean and Harry Reid. So some people aren't taking seriously his protest that the "far-left" Democratic Party wasn't welcoming him.

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Jim Cooper

NRCC Robocall Targets Dem Congressman From Tennessee Blue District

Eric Kleefeld | December 24, 2009, 11:51AM

Rep. Jim Cooper (D-TN)

The NRCC is now expanding their 2010 playing field, with a new robocall targeting Rep. Jim Cooper (D-TN) and calling him an out-of-touch liberal -- which may seem odd, considering he's from a blue district.

"Jim Cooper has been in Congress for over seven years, and has lost touch with what Tennessee workers are going through," a woman says in the robocall, provided to us by a reader. "Unemployment in Tennessee is 10.3%, but Jim Cooper spent 2009 helping liberal Speaker Nancy Pelosi pass a massive government takeover of health care that will increase costs and could lower choices."

Tennessee a red state that offers the GOP some solid pick-up opportunities in 2010, such as the retirements of Democratic Reps. John Tanner and Bart Gordon, in districts that were carried by John McCain. However, Cooper's district is one of two solidly Democratic districts in the state. It voted for Barack Obama by 56%-43%, and for John Kerry by 52%-47% before that.

The Republicans are making a big push to pick up Democratic seats in the South in 2010. But could even this one be a good target?

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Jim Inhofe

Did Jim Inhofe Manipulate Poll Data On Climate Change Policy?

Eric Kleefeld | December 24, 2009, 10:28AM

Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-OK)

Did Sen Jim Inhofe (R-OK) -- the leading global-warming skeptic in Congress, who has repeatedly called man-made global warming or even global warming itself a hoax, and accused scientists of manipulating data -- himself falsely represented poll data on American public opinion?

Earlier this week, Inhofe published an op-ed piece in USA Today, reviewing his visit to the Copenhagen conference. "The bottom line is this: The American people have caught on to the significant flaws of cap-and-trade policy," Inhofe writes. "The Washington Post released a poll on Friday showing 'growing negativity toward the president's handling of the broader global warming issue.' Approval has plummeted from 61% last spring to 45% last week. Given the state of the American economy, it is hardly surprising that the American public is growing restless with policies that would put more Americans out of jobs and raise the cost of energy."

The problem is this: The poll doesn't say that people are against policies that would raise the cost of energy -- in fact, it says quite the opposite. Even odder, there were other numbers in the poll that Inhofe could have picked out, but didn't, if he'd wanted to undermine the political credibility of climate science. And yet he didn't even mention those.

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Polls

Poll: Public Still Prefers Dems' Policies Over GOP's

Eric Kleefeld | December 23, 2009, 6:03PM

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-OH)

Despite all the talk about the GOP being on the rise -- and their activist base certainly does seems to be more fired up and ready to go, at this juncture -- a new CNN poll suggests that a key fundamental measurement is still on the Democrats' side: The public at large thinks their policies are good, and also thinks the GOP's policies are bad.

The survey of American adults asked: "Do you think the policies being proposed by the Democratic leaders in the U.S. House and Senate would move the country in the right direction or the wrong direction?" The answer is 51% right direction, 46% wrong direction, with a ±3% margin of error.

The same question asked about the policies being proposed by Republican leaders in the House and Senate: Right direction 42%, wrong direction 53%.

A key internal number is that majorities of independents view both parties' policies as leading in the wrong direction -- 57% for the Dems, 52% for the Republicans.

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Chris Carney

GOP Looking For More Party Switchers, Uses McCain To Target Chris Carney

Eric Kleefeld | December 23, 2009, 5:41PM

Rep. Chris Carney (D-PA)

Republicans are going fishing for more party-switching House Democrats, the Politico reports -- with the latest target being second-term Pennsylvania Rep. Chris Carney, who received a phone call from Sen. John McCain himself.

Senate Republicans are also reportedly receiving a list of party-switching targets in the House.

"I just said, 'Whatever you do, I know that you'll make right decision for the country,'" said McCain. Carney is also being courted to switch by Pennsylvania GOP Rep. Bill Shuster. Carney was elected in 2006 by a 53%-47%, defeating a scandal-plagued Republican incumbent. He was re-elected by 56%-44% in 2008, at the same time as McCain carried his district by 54%-45%.

If someone were sitting down and making a list of obvious targets in the Democratic caucus that Republicans could court, Carney wouldn't be at the top of it. He voted for the House health care bill this past November, which surely wouldn't endear him to the conservative GOP activist base. However, a House Republican told the site that they'd gotten "a nibble" from Carney, whatever that means. Politico also reports: "A source familiar with the call [with McCain] said that Republicans thought Carney may be susceptible to McCain's entreaty because, like the senator, the 50-year old House member served in the Navy."

A Navy background makes for a Democrat becoming a Republican? How about they try Admiral Joe Sestak next?

Norm Coleman

Poll: Even Minnesota's Most GOP District Doesn't Like Norm Coleman

Eric Kleefeld | December 23, 2009, 11:53AM

Norm Coleman, American Action CEO

Some new numbers by Public Policy Polling (D) have some bad news and good news for former Sen. Norm Coleman (R-MN), if he decides to run for governor in 2010: Even the state's most Republican Congressional district, which is represented by Michele Bachmann, doesn't actually like him -- but they'd still vote for him against a Democrat.

Coleman's favorable rating here is only 41%, with a 42% unfavorable rating and a margin of error of ±3.7%. However, in gubernatorial general election match-ups Coleman leads Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak by 49%-36%, and he leads former Sen. Mark Dayton by 50%-36%.

Intuitively, you would think that Coleman might benefit from a certain "we was robbed" mentality with the party base, after his disputed re-election defeat by Democrat Al Franken. But in a district that John McCain carried by 53%-45%, and which also views its fiery conservative Congresswoman quite favorably, Norm's ratings are pretty lackluster.

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Death Panels

Bachmann Changes Definition of Death Panels

Eric Kleefeld | December 23, 2009, 10:49AM

Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin and Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN)

Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN) is still warning against the presence of "death panels" in the health care legislation. However, on close examination the definition of "death panels" has changed radically.

Bachmann appeared on Glenn Beck's radio show, and told guest host Chris Baker: "Also, we're just reading this morning, Chris, that Harry Reid slipped in a provision that made it virtually impossible to repeal part of this legislation. And it's the part dealing with the Medicare Advisory Board -- what many people have labeled the death panels -- because these unelected bureaucracies will decide what we can and can't get in future health insurance policy. That's why they're called death panels."

Um, no, that's not why they're called death panels -- or at least, not why they were originally called death panels. As Sarah Palin first laid out the idea when she coined the term, "death panels" refers to a group of government bureaucrats who would allegedly would stand in judgment of individuals' worthiness of receiving health care. Specifically, they would kill Palin's Down syndrome baby by cutting off his access to medical treatment. (Palin was in fact referencing a speech by Bachmann, who was referencing Betsy McCaughey, who was in turn taking Ezekiel Emanuel seriously out of context.)

But now, "death panel" refers to a government body that would regulate insurance policies and the range of treatments that would have mandated coverage. Talk about moving the goalposts!

KY-SEN

Poll: GOP Favored To Hold Kentucky Senate Seat

Eric Kleefeld | December 23, 2009, 10:18AM

Senate candidate Rand Paul (R-KY)

A new survey of Kentucky by Public Policy Polling (D) gives Republicans the early advantage to hold on to this state's open GOP-held Senate seat in 2010, with both GOP candidates Rand Paul and Trey Grayson leading the two Democrats.

Paul, a conservative activist and son of Rep. Ron Paul (R-TX), leads state Attorney General Jack Conway and Lt. Gov. Dan Mongiardo by identical margins of 42%-36%. Grayson, Kentucky's Secretary of State, leads Conway by 40%-33% and Mongiardo by 44%-35%. The margin of error is ±2.8%.

A PPP survey released yesterday gave Paul a 44%-25% lead over Grayson in the Republican primary, and Conway a 37%-33% edge over Mongiardo for the Democratic nomination.

PPP's Tom Jensen notes that the candidates are still largely unknown, with 38% having no opinion of Mongiardo, 51% with no opinion of Paul, 63% with no opinion of Conway, and 64% with no opinion of Grayson. "The dynamics of the race could change a lot as the eventual nominees become better known and voters in the state react favorably to them or not," Jensen writes. "For now though in a Republican state in what's shaping up to be a Republican year the Republicans are favored to hold this seat."

Afghanistan

Poll: Public Opposes Afghanistan War -- And Favors Sending More Troops

Eric Kleefeld | December 23, 2009, 9:47AM

A convoy of trucks leave Kandahar Air Field.

A new CNN poll finds a curious result: Overlapping majorities of Americans oppose the Afghanistan War and favor President Obama's decision to send more troops there.

Respondents were asked: "Do you favor or oppose the U.S. war in Afghanistan?" Here the answer is that only 43% favor the war, and 55% oppose it.

But another question: "Regardless of how you feel about the war in general, do you favor or oppose President Obama's plan to send about 30,000 more U.S. troops to Afghanistan in an attempt to stabilize the situation there?" Here it becomes 59% in favor, to 39% against.

The bottom line: Support for sending more troops runs 16 points ahead of support for the war itself. A previous CNN poll a month ago had a similar case of overlapping majorities, though the gap wasn't as stark then as it is now.

The pollster's analysis points out that only 18% of respondents think the United States is winning right now. "That may explain the support for Obama's plan, since a victory is likely to require more troops," said CNN polling director Keating Holland. "But it may also explain the overall opposition to the war, since Americans tend to dislike losing."

FL-SEN

Florida GOPers In Civil War

Eric Kleefeld | December 22, 2009, 6:46PM

Clockwise from left, Rep. Lincoln Diaz-Balart (R-FL), Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart, Florida Republican Party Chairman Jim Greer, Rep. Marco Rubio (R-FL), Center Florida Gov. Charlie Crist

The Florida Republican Party organization is now in the midst of a civil war, with the latest shoe to drop being that embattled party chairman Jim Greer has called for a special executive committee meeting, in response to a request that he be ousted as chairman -- but at the same time, he's telling his enemies that the motion itself isn't allowed under the party rules.

Greer, an ally of moderate Gov. Charlie Crist, has come under fire by intra-party critics who accuse him of mismanaging the state GOP's finances. For his part, Greer is putting the blame for this controversy on allies of former state House Speaker Marco Rubio, the more conservative challenger against Crist in the Senate primary. And Greer has accused these critics of "slander," "libel," and even "treason" against the Republican Party!

Now Greer has sent out his new letter (available after the jump) calling the meeting, but declaring its raison d'etre of ousting him to be against the party's rules. "Chairman Greer is agreeing to call the special meeting in conjunction with the already-scheduled annual meeting to discuss a variety of issues the board has expressed interest in discussing -- one of which is to rescind his election as Chairman," Florida GOP press secretary Katie Gordon Betta explained to us. "By this letter, the Chairman is pro-actively informing the members that one of their intended motions is not permitted under party rules, in order to avoid confusion at the meeting in January."

Yes, this letter should probably help to avoid confusion, and will clear a lot of things up. But that's not all. Crist has also lost the support of some key GOP Congressmen in his Senate bid -- but nobody is exactly sure why.

Read more »

Bobby Bright

Alabama Blue Dog Bobby Bright, Asked Whether He'll Stay A Democrat: Merry Christmas

Eric Kleefeld | December 22, 2009, 6:21PM

Rep. Bobby Bright (D-AL).

Earlier today I asked the office of Rep. Bobby Bright (D-AL), now the only remaining conservative Democrat from a McCain district in Alabama, whether he could end up following in the footsteps of Rep. Parker Griffith and leaving the Democratic Party -- and I received a very inconclusive answer.

Bright has a lot in common with Griffith, who announced his party switch earlier today: Both are freshmen from districts that voted heavily for John McCain in 2008; they each won their races very narrowly; and both have voted against the big-ticket items of the Democratic agenda this year. So I asked what Bright's thoughts were on Griffith, whether he was committed to staying with the Democrats, and what his overall concerns might be about the political situation in Congress.

His spokesman just sent me back this statement from the Congressman: "In this season of great promise, we should focus on that which draws us together: faith, family, and service. These are not partisan values and as I have said many times, we are stronger as people, communities, and as a nation when we seek common ground rather than focusing on what divides us. I hope, for a few days at least, we can put politics aside and focus on the true joys of the Christmas season."

Chris Dodd

Dodd Internal Poll: He Can Win!

Eric Kleefeld | December 22, 2009, 4:49PM

Sen. Chris Dodd (D-CT)

Sen. Chris Dodd's (D-CT) campaign has released an internal poll, saying that the endangered incumbent's chances for re-election in 2010 aren't so bad as people think.

The poll, conducted by the Democratic firm Greenberg Quinlan Rosner, has Dodd trailing Republican former Rep. Rob Simmons by 51%-46%, and in a 46%-46% tie with former Worldwide Wrestling Entertainment CEO Linda McMahon. That might sound unimpressive for an incumbent, but consider that other recent polls have Dodd behind Simmons by around ten points. Then again, this is an internal poll that the campaign chose to release, so the obvious caveats apply.

"Once voters hear both positive and negative information about all three candidates, Dodd gains ground and leads McMahon by 5 points, 50 to 45 percent, and is in a statistical dead heat with Simmons, 49 to 48 percent," the polling memo says, though it's not immediately clear just what all of these pieces of information were. "Furthermore, voters respond positively to Dodd's work in the Senate, particularly on health care reform, the passage of the Credit Card Accountability, Responsibility, and Disclosure Act, and Dodd's economic plan to help small businesses and create jobs."

Parker Griffith

Palin Welcomes Griffith To GOP: 'Congratulations Alabama!'

Eric Kleefeld | December 22, 2009, 3:08PM

Rep. Parker Griffith (R-AL) and Sarah Palin.

Rep. Parker Griffith (D-AL R-AL) might be facing some opposition on right after his party switch, but he is being welcomed to the GOP by one top name: Sarah Palin.

Palin posted this on her Twitter account: "Congratulations Alabama!And all Americans concerned about Capitol Hill's current agenda;Rep Parker Griffith just did the right thing.Welcome"

Other big right-wing names, such as the Club For Growth and Erick Erickson, are already laying the groundwork for a primary challenge against Griffith by what they would think of as a truly loyal conservative. But so far at least, Palin is greeting the new GOP Congressman with open arms.

Parker Griffith

Flashback: GOP Accused Griffith Of Abusing Cancer Patients, Cheering For Radical Islam

Eric Kleefeld | December 22, 2009, 2:11PM

Rep. Parker Griffith (R-AL)

The Republican Party is taking a great moral leap in welcoming Rep. Parker Griffith to the caucus -- accepting someone who they believe deliberately gave poor care to cancer patients in order to make money off of them, and who hates America and sympathizes with radical Muslims on top of that. At least, that's what their ads against him in 2008 said!

Griffith, of course, is the Alabama Congressman who who just officially announced in the last few minutes that he is switching parties, from being a conservative Democrat to being a conservative Republican. The National Republican Congressional Committee ran some pretty hard-hitting spots against Griffith in the 2008 campaign -- which were taken down from their YouTube account today. However, a source with an interest in the race was able to capture them first, and gave them to us.

Here's one that accuses Griffith, a medical doctor, of a practice known as "warehousing" cancer patients -- meaning to deliberately give poor care to patients in order to keep them bedridden and make more money from their medical treatments. "His approach caused unwarranted pain and suffering," the announcer said, "but it meant more money for him."

Another ad accuses Griffith of hating America, and apparently even sympathizing with radical Islam -- with audio of the candidate himself speaking! "America's greatest enemy is America, and its materialism...We have nothing to fear from radical Islam." The ad then repeated the audio of him saying "America's greatest enemy is America," and the announcer declared him "wrong for Alabama."

Charlie Crist

Diaz-Balart Brothers Take Back Their Endorsements Of Crist In Senate Race

Eric Kleefeld | December 22, 2009, 1:41PM

Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart (R-FL), Rep. Lincoln Diaz-Balart (R-FL)

Gov. Charlie Crist (R-FL) just suffered a setback in his Senate primary, in which he's been the establishment candidate against the more conservative former state House Speaker Marco Rubio -- with two top Florida Congressmen now rescinding their endorsements for Crist.

Reps. Lincoln and Mario Diaz-Balart, two brothers who are big names in the Cuban-American Republican community, have now taken back their endorsements -- though they aren't saying exactly why. "We take our endorsements seriously, but the governor knows why we withdrew and he left us with no alternative," said Lincoln Diaz-Balart, who added that he and his brother are unlikely to endorse anyone else in the race.

Lincoln Diaz-Balart also said that the decision was made weeks ago, and is not related to Rubio's numbers in recent polls, which have him either tied or only narrowly trailing Crist.

Michele Bachmann

Poll: Bachmann Popular In Her District -- Her Constituents Don't Think She's An Extremist!

Eric Kleefeld | December 22, 2009, 12:23PM

Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN)

A new survey by Public Policy Polling (D) finds that Rep. Michele Bachmann's (R-MN) high profile as a conservative firebrand doesn't seem to be hurting her back home -- in fact, a majority of her constituents approve of her job performance, and they don't think she's an extremist.

Bachmann's approval rating is 53%, with 41% disapproval. She leads both of her Democratic opponents by substantial margins, ahead of state Sen. Tarryl Clark by 55%-37%, and leading former University of Minnesota regent Maureen Reed by 53%-37%. The pollster notes that the challengers have low name recognition, but the points stands that a well-known incumbent is over the 50-percent mark.

Respondents were also asked: "Do you consider Michele Bachmann's political views to be extremist?" Here the answer is 37% yes, 54% no. This might seem a bit odd; you'd think that usually people would consider it extreme to repeatedly call for revolution, express concerns about census data being used to create internment camps, and warn against "government re-education camps."

Bachmann's district is always tough ground for Democrats. George W. Bush carried it by double-digit margins twice, and John McCain held on to it by 53%-45%. President Obama's approval rating is only 39% in this district, with 55% disapproval. Democratic Sen. Amy Klobuchar is at 45%-43%, and Democratic Sen. Al Franken is at 37%-53%. If the horse-race numbers hold up in 2010, then it would be the first time that Bachmann herself would get over 51% support at the polls.

"Michele Bachmann's constituents don't seem to mind her penchant for controversial comments," said PPP president Dean Debnam, in the polling memo. "Given how poorly national Democrats rate in the district they probably agree with a lot of them."

Conservative Dem Congressman Parker Griffith Switching Parties

Eric Kleefeld | December 22, 2009, 11:19AM

Rep. Parker Griffith (D-AL)

The House Republican caucus is getting a present in its Christmas stocking: A new member of the caucus, with freshman conservative Democratic Congressman Parker Griffith of Alabama switching parties.

Griffith's switch was first reported by Politico, and confirmed to TPM by a GOP source who requested anonymity so as not to pre-empt Griffith's official announcement later today. Griffith's change of party puts the current makeup of the House at 257 Democrats to 178 Republicans -- the GOP would need to pick up 40 seats, without any other party switches, to win control in 2010.

Griffith, a medical doctor and former Alabama state legislator, was first elected to Congress in 2008, to an open seat previously held by retiring Blue Dog Democratic Rep. Bud Cramer. John McCain carried his district by 61%-38%, while Griffith defeated Republican opponent Wayne Parker by the slender margin of 51%-48%. Over this past summer, he told a local newspaper that he wouldn't support Nancy Pelosi for Speaker again, saying she was too divisive.

Griffith's party switch will provide Republicans with some rhetorical muscle about people rushing to their banner against the Democratic agenda, but in practical terms in Congress it won't mean much for Democrats. Griffith was a consistent vote against the Democratic agenda this whole year -- as examples, he voted against the stimulus, against the cap-and-trade bill, and against the health care bill.

Rand Paul

Poll: Rand Paul Has Big Lead In Kentucky GOP Senate Primary

Eric Kleefeld | December 22, 2009, 10:58AM

Senate candidate Rand Paul (R-KY)

The new survey of Kentucky by Public Policy Polling (D) gives Rand Paul, a conservative activist and son of Rep. Ron Paul (R-TX), a huge lead over the establishment candidate in the Republican primary for Senate in 2010.

The numbers: Rand Paul 44%, Secretary of State Trey Grayson 25%. Grayson was recruited to run in place of two-term GOP Sen. Jim Bunning, who is retiring. Paul, however, has mobilized his campaign around the Tea Party movement and his outsider conservative message.

From the pollster's analysis: "Paul is winning the votes of conservatives by a 47-20 margin, while Grayson holds a 36-34 lead with moderates. Paul is having a particularly good amount of success with folks who think that the Republican Party in Washington has become too liberal -- his lead with them is 54-18."

The Democratic primary is a tight race with state Attorney General Jack Conway at 37%, and Lt. Gov. Dan Mongiardo at 33%, within the ±4.2% margin of error.

Jim Greer

Florida GOP Chairman Digs In, Accuses Opponents Of 'Slander,' 'Libel' And 'Treason'

Eric Kleefeld | December 22, 2009, 9:46AM

Former Florida Republican Party Chair Jim Greer

Florida Republican Party chairman Jim Greer, an ally of moderate Gov. Charlie Crist, has sent out a letter to party committee members insisting that he will not resign -- and lambasting supporters of the more conservative former state House Speaker Marco Rubio in the Senate primary, accusing them of "slander," "libel," "treason" and all manner of other bad deeds against the GOP in their efforts to bring him down.

The letter, sent out last night in the midst of calls for Greer's resignation, makes for some very interesting reading as part of an intra-party slugfest:

What has transpired in the last week has been nothing short of slander and libel by a group of people bent on the destruction of the Republican Party. A coordinated campaign of misinformation, complete with late night phone calls and e-mails filled with rumors and innuendo, all in attempt to create the appearance of chaos at a time when the party is laser-focused on defeating Democrats.

...

Now, if I may, I'd like to talk about these recent calls for my resignation. They all have one thing in common, and it is not geography, ideology or good intention. It is treason that for the sake of personal ambition that members of this party are airing dirty laundry and even budget and strategy plans publicly to serve their selfish interests.

Check out the full letter, after the jump.

Read more »

Rudy Giuliani

Report: Rudy Giuliani Not Running For Senate Against Gillibrand

Eric Kleefeld | December 22, 2009, 9:16AM

Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) and Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani

Rudy Giuliani is expected to announce today that he will not run for Senate in 2010 against appointed Democratic Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, a blow for Republican recruitment efforts after Giuliani had consistently led Gillibrand in the polls.

Giuliani will also endorse former Rep. Rick Lazio for governor, after having contemplated that race earlier this year -- an interesting turn of events, considering how Lazio became the 2000 nominee for Senate against Hillary Clinton after Giuliani had dropped out of that race, too.

The polls have shown that Gillibrand remains a largely unknown quantity with the voters, and faces a potential primary challenge from outgoing New York City Comptroller Bill Thompson, who came closer to victory than anybody had expected in his 2009 race for mayor. But without Rudy Giuliani, the Republicans have lost their biggest name in a state where they don't have much of a bench to speak of anymore.

Health Care

Poll: Public Still Doesn't Like Health Care Bill -- And Still Like Public Option, Medicare Buy-In

Eric Kleefeld | December 22, 2009, 8:48AM

President Barack Obama

A new Quinnipiac poll finds that a large majority of Americans continue to oppose the health care bill -- and that two policies that have been dropped, the public option or the Medicare buy-in, which were both very popular.

The poll finds 53% of respondents saying they mostly disapprove of the health care plan in Congress, to only 36% who approve. From the party internals, support is at 64%-22% among Democrats, 10%-83% among Republicans, and 30%-58% among independents.

The now-departed public option, however, is supported by a 56%-38% majority, including a 54%-41% margin among independents. Also, the Medicare buy-in for Americans ages 55-64 was supported by 64%-30%, including 57%-36% among independents and even a 50%-44% margin among Republicans.

The poll also finds that only 31% agree both that the President and Congress must take on health care reform now and support the current proposals. Another 28% want reform now but don't support the current proposals (a number spread pretty evenly across all partisan sub-samples), while 36% don't think reform should be taken on now.

From the pollster's analysis: "While the Senate leadership reportedly has the votes to pass a health care overhaul plan this week, outside the Beltway there appears to be weak support, both to what voters understand as the plan, and the need to pass that plan now."

DCCC

DCCC Staffer's Fundraising E-Mail: Help Me Meet My Quota So I Can See My Mom And Puppy!

Eric Kleefeld | December 21, 2009, 6:00PM

A cute dog used in DCCC fundraising e-mail.

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee is using a new pitch in its year-end fundraising: Help our online media guy meet his quota so he can see his mom and his dog for Christmas.

The new e-mail from DCCC New Media staffer Brandon English contains a supposed e-mail from his mom, asking when he's coming home. It is accompanied by a photo purported to be his dog, with his mom saying the dog misses him.

"Help me meet my year-end goal so I can go home and see my puppy!" English exclaims.

Hmm...I can has campaign contribution?

Check out the full e-mail after the jump.

Read more »

Health Care

Poll: Imminent Passage Of Bill Without Public Option Causes Obama's Approval To Go Up Among Democrats

Eric Kleefeld | December 21, 2009, 3:48PM

President Barack Obama

The new CNN poll finds that President Obama's approval rating is going up, now that he's on the verge of passing a health care bill -- and Democratic approval of the bill is going up, too.

Obama's overall approval is now 54%, to disapproval of 44%, with a ±3% margin of error. In early December, he was at 48%-50%. The poll also finds that the Senate health care bill is still opposed by a margin of 42%-56% -- but that this an improvement from only 36% approval in early December, and the jump has come almost entirely from Democratic voters.

Greg Sargent points out that this is a "counter-intuitive finding," given the anger from the left at the dropping of the public option: "It suggests that overall, rank and file Dems may be grateful for action on health care, and see the bill as an achievement even without its core liberal priorities."

My own take is that the drop in liberal support, and then the subsequent increase, make perfect sense from the standpoint of rational decision-making. At the point when things shifted from a public-option bill to no public option, liberal disapproval naturally shot up. But now, at the point where circumstances have changed from a no-bill scenario to simply passing something to deal with health care, liberal approval has risen again.

In short, Democrats preferred a public option to no public option, and now prefer a bill without a public option to no bill at all.

GOP Voted To Delay Funding For Troops -- As Part Of Health Care Debate?

Eric Kleefeld | December 21, 2009, 3:05PM

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY).

Everybody knows the health care debate has become more and more contentious, and dominated by a Republican parliamentary effort to delay the debate. But an under-appreciated aspect of this whole controversy -- exceedingly rare, if not unprecedented -- is the fact that it's even affected defense spending, with Senate Republicans having worked to hold that up, too!

Late on Thursday night, the Senate voted 63-33 to break a Republican filibuster of the defense appropriations bill. Only three Republicans voted against this delay of military spending: Kay Bailey Hutchison (TX), Olympia Snowe (ME) and Susan Collins (ME). The filibuster was part of a Republican effort to further delay the health care bill.

So think for a second about what happened here. The Senate GOP sought to hold up military spending -- and not because of an argument with the defense appropriations bill itself or something in it that might have been offensive to them, but in an attempt to block a domestic political debate. It was an especially interesting position for a party that repeatedly accused then-Senator Barack Obama, during the 2008 campaign, of trying to "defund the troops" when he voted against a military funding bill because it didn't include a timeline to withdraw from Iraq.

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Jim Greer

Florida GOP Chairman, Crist Ally, Fighting Calls For Resignation

Eric Kleefeld | December 21, 2009, 12:21PM

Florida Governor Charlie Crist (R)

The Florida Republican Party is facing serious internal divisions over the Senate primary between moderate Gov. Charlie Crist and the more conservative former state House Speaker Marco Rubio, with state party chairman and Crist ally Jim Greer denouncing calls from the right for his resignation.

"The governor has told me I'm not to consider resigning,'" Greer told the St. Petersburg Times. Greer denounced his critics: "People have a specific political agenda - to destroy me, to destroy the governor, and to destroy the party." He further slammed them as "non-inclusive purists" who want to remake the GOP as an "anti-Crist party" -- which would certainly be an odd thing for the party to be, an institution opposed to its own incumbent governor.

Read more »

Byron Dorgan

Poll: Dem Sen. Byron Dorgan Vulnerable -- If GOP Gets Gov. John Hoeven To Run

Eric Kleefeld | December 21, 2009, 9:15AM

Sen. Byron Dorgan (D-ND)

A new Rasmussen poll finds that Sen. Byron Dorgan (D-ND) could be seriously vulnerable in 2010 -- but only if the GOP manages to get just the right candidate to oppose him, third-term Republican Gov. John Hoeven.

When Dorgan is tested against Duane Sand, a Navy veteran who has previously run unsuccessfully for the Senate and the House, Dorgan leads by 52%-37%. But if Hoeven were the GOP candidate, Dorgan would trail by a 58%-36% margin.

Hoeven has previously declined a Senate run. The GOP tried to recruit him to run against Democratic Sen. Kent Conrad in the 2006 cycle, but he didn't make the race. Earlier this year, he said he would decide on a Senate run by September -- which has obviously passed already. But if he were to get in, he would start as the frontrunner.

From the pollster's analysis: "Along with Hoeven's popularity in the state, Dorgan has to contend with President Obama's unpopularity. John McCain carried North Dakota over Obama 53% to 45%, and now just 41% approve of how the president is doing his job. Fifty-eight percent (58%) disapprove."