Roundup

TPMDC Morning Roundup

Eric Kleefeld | February 15, 2010, 9:00AM

WaPo: White House Revamps Communications Strategy
The Washington Post reports that the White House is retooling its communications strategy for this midterm election year. "It was clear that too often we didn't have the ball -- Congress had the ball in terms of driving the message," said communications director Dan Pfeiffer. "In 2010, the president will constantly be doing high-profile things to be the person driving the narrative."

NYT: After 9/11 Trial Plan, Holder Hones Political Ear
The New York Times reports that Attorney General Eric Holder has started to work on his political skills, in the wake of controversy over the planned 9/11 terrorism trials: "'The political attacks over terrorism cases were 'starting to constrain my ability to function as attorney general,' he said in an interview last week. 'I have to do a better job in explaining the decisions that I have made," Mr. Holder also said, adding, 'I have to be more forceful in advocating for why I believe these are trials that should be held on the civilian side.'"

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Joe the Plumber

Joe The Plumber: I'd "Beat The Livin' Tar Out Of" People Like Pelosi

Eric Kleefeld | August 17, 2009, 4:58PM

Appearing at the RightOnline summit, a right-wing counterpart to Netroots Nation, Samuel Joseph "Joe The Plumber" Wurzelbacher said that Nancy Pelosi and other Democrats are the sort of people he would "beat livin' tar out of" for spending too much money and ridiculing protestors:

"So, when Pelosi and all those others talk about it bein' un-American and disrespectful, I tell ya what: I respect nobody who lies to me and manipulates me and takes my money, puts my children in debt -- they want me to be respectful towards 'em? Please," said Mr. The Plumber. "You know, I'm not the most civilized person. Those kind of people, I usually took behind the woodshed and just beat the livin' tar out of 'em. I don't like being lied to. I hate being lied to, and Americans are gettin' tired of it."

(Via Think Progress.)

Joe the Plumber

Joe The Plumber -- Quitting The GOP?

Eric Kleefeld | May 7, 2009, 11:13AM

Is Samuel "Joe the Plumber" Wurzelbacher really quitting the Republican Party? That's what a new Time article on the current sad state of the GOP says.

"Samuel Wurzelbacher, better known as Joe the Plumber, tells TIME he's so outraged by GOP overspending, he's quitting the party -- and he's the bull's-eye of its target audience," the article says.

Mr. The Plumber has been a figurehead among Republican activists since last October, when a chance encounter with Barack Obama and the active promotion by McCain campaign turned him into the face of blue-collar conservatism. If he's not willing to call himself a Republican, they're really in trouble.

But even here on spending, there's a catch when it comes to the ideological purity: "But he also said he wouldn't support any cuts in defense, Social Security, Medicare or Medicaid -- which, along with debt payments, would put more than two-thirds of the budget off limits."

Huh???

PA-SEN

Pat Toomey To Join With Joe The Plumber, Against EFCA

Eric Kleefeld | March 27, 2009, 2:11PM

In yet another sign that former Rep. Pat Toomey (R-PA) is on the verge of challenging Arlen Specter in the 2010 Republican primary -- a rematch of their 51%-49% battle in 2004 -- Greg Sargent reports that Toomey will appearing at rallies in Pennsylvania alongside a top GOP leader: Samuel "Joe The Plumber" Wurzelbacher.

Toomey will be joining Mr. The Plumber at an upcoming rally against the Employee Free Choice Act. In a way, this might seem superfluous, now that Specter has come out against EFCA and effectively sunk it during this Congress. On the other hand, any candidate should go hunting where the ducks are -- and there should be plenty of conservative ducks at a rally like this.

Michael Steele

Joe The Plumber Blasts Michael Steele's "Hip Hop" Ambitions

Eric Kleefeld | March 9, 2009, 3:16PM

At a meeting of conservative activists in Milwaukee, Mr. The Plumber had some tough words for the RNC chairman: "Unfortunately we have a chairman up there who wants to redefine conservatism; he wants to make it hip hop, put it in a new package and sell it."

"You can't sell principles; either you have them or you don't," he added, to applause from the audience of 800 people.

Joe The Plumber has really embraced his self-proclaimed role as the voice of the right-wing working-class voter -- quite a different audience from Steele's desire to expand the GOP into minority communities. And Joe's pronouncement that conservative principles can't be repackaged and sold -- you either have them or you don't -- is strikingly similar to Rush Limbaugh's line from CPAC that conservatism is unchanging and permanent, solidifying a definite line of anti-Steele thought.

Republicans

Joe the Plumber Hits the Capitol to Meet With GOPers

Elana Schor | February 4, 2009, 9:59AM

Your eyes do not deceive you -- that was indeed Joe Wurzelbacher, a.k.a. Joe the Plumber, visiting the Capitol yesterday in coat and tie (tie and leather jacket, to be more exact).

Joe told reporters that he had met with Republican aides, ostensibly to offer his astute political messaging advice, but that no lawmakers were present for his visit.

When asked whether he had plans to see old pal Sen. John McCain (R-AZ), Joe was non-committal. And when asked, wholly in jest, whether he planned to lay any pipe during his day in D.C., Joe was downright incensed. A moment of awkward silence followed the question. "All the puns have been made," Joe warned the reporter who queried him.

I don't know, Joe ... sometimes the puns deserve to be made again.

Barack Obama

TPMDC Morning Roundup

Eric Kleefeld | February 4, 2009, 9:01AM

Cheney: "I Worry" When Washington Cares More About Terrorists' Rights Than Protecting America
In an interview with the Politico, Dick Cheney gave a dire warning that terrorists will try to attack America again, and their success or failure depends on keeping his policies in place. Said Cheney: "When we get people who are more concerned about reading the rights to an Al Qaeda terrorist than they are with protecting the United States against people who are absolutely committed to do anything they can to kill Americans, then I worry."

Obama's Day Ahead
President Obama and Tim Geithner are speaking at 11 a.m. ET, where they will deliver remarks on their expected plans to curb executive pay at $500,000 for financial institutions receiving bailout funds. Obama will then meet with Joe Biden, Hillary Clinton and George Mitchell at 11:50 p.m., will have lunch with Biden at 12:15 p.m., and will sign legislation to expand the SCHIP program at 4:30 p.m. He will meet with Ken Salazar at 5:05 p.m., and then he and Michelle Obama will attend a caucus leadership cocktail reception at 7:30 p.m.

Biden Meeting With Indonesian VP, Teamsters Head
Joe Biden will be meeting this afternoon with Jusuf Kalla, the Vice President of Indonesia. He will then meet with Teamsters president James P. Hoffa. Both meetings are closed press.

Obama, On Daschle: "I Screwed Up"
President Obama very bluntly told CNN, "I screwed up," regarding the Tom Daschle mess. "Ultimately, I campaigned on changing Washington and bottom-up politics," Obama added. "And I don't want to send a message to the American people that there are two sets of standards -- one for powerful people and one for ordinary folks who are working every day and paying their taxes."

Minnesota Trial Keeps On Going; State Dems Propose Legislative Way Out
The Minnesota election trial goes into Day 8, while state Democratic legislators are proposing a bill to change the law immediately and award Al Franken a certificate of election while the litigation is still pending, but it does not appear likely to succeed -- GOP Governor Tim Pawlenty indicated he won't support the bill, calling it an attempt to change the rules retroactively.

WaPo: Dems Don't Have The Votes For Current Stimulus Plan
The Washington Post reports that Democratic leaders don't have 60 votes to pass the stimulus bill as it now stands, with both Democratic and Republican Senators putting forward amendments to strip various spending items. On the other hand, new spending items and tax breaks are being put in -- so the cost is now at over $900 billion.

Joe The Plumber Gives Political Advice To GOP Staffers
Joe "The Plumber" Wurzelbacher visited Capitol Hill yesterday, giving his political advice to a key group of Republican staffers. Wurzelbacher spoke of the importance of stopping the stimulus bill, and for the GOP to take a hard line. "I don't believe there's two sides to every story. It's black and white," he said. "There's right and wrong."

Blago Goes On Letterman
Former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich appeared on the David Letterman show last night. "I've been wanting to be on your show in the worst way for the longest time," said Blago. To which Dave replied: "Well, you're on in the worst way, believe me."