Politics Daily

Fox News Adds Indiana Democrat Evan Bayh as Commentator

Politics Daily Staff — 2011-03-15T12:58:00+00:00

Filed under: Senate, Democrats, Republicans, Media, Governors, 2010 Elections, Conservatives

Former Democratic Sen. Evan Bayh, an influential voice for moderation during his 12 years in the U.S. Senate, has signed on as a political commentator with Fox News.

Bayh, 55, chose not to seek reelection last year -- and his seat was subsequently lost a Republican in November, Dan Coats.

"I'm pleased to offer analysis of public policy and politics to the millions of Americans who get their news from Fox," Bayh said in a statement issued by the network. He will "lend a valuable point of view" and will be part of Fox's coverage of the 2012 presidential race, Fox Senior Vice President Michael Clemente said.

In Indiana, Bayh is a household name. He is a former governor and the son of Birch Bayh, who also served in the Senate and ran for president in 1976, losing the Democratic nomination to Jimmy Carter.

A lawyer, Bayh recently joined the Washington firm of McGuireWoods and became an adviser to the New York-based private equity firm of Apollo Global Management, according to the Indianapolis Star.

Fox News, often criticized for leaning too heavily on conservative Republican commentators, recently suspended former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum from their contributor roles because both are edging toward candidacies for the GOP presidential nomination.

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Women in Politics: Groups Aim to Increase the Numbers in 2012

Sandra Fish — 2011-03-11T21:09:00+00:00

Filed under: Woman Up, 2010 Elections, 2012 Elections

With the 2012 elections in mind, several groups are gearing up to recruit and train women candidates after a mixed showing in 2010.

The 2010 census means districts for the U.S. House of Representatives and for state legislatures are being redrawn, creating the potential for more open seats, more competitive races, and possibly more women in office.

"We have to take advantage of that once-a-decade opportunity," said Mary Hughes, a California political strategist who is founder and director of the 2012 Project, a nonpartisan group trying to recruit women candidates. On the conservative side, Smart Girl Politics is also adding to the mix by training women to run for office.

Members of the 2012 Project are attending a range of women's professional events in an effort to encourage women to run for office in 2012.

"Women need to be asked," Hughes said. "We don't self-nominate. The most important thing to do is to go out and to find qualified, gifted, experienced women...We've specifically targeted baby boomer women who are already achievers."

About 60 former and current women officeholders, both Democrats and Republicans, are helping in the effort. They include Florida's Republican Lt. Gov. Jennifer Carroll, former Republican National Committee co-chair Jo Ann Davis, former Democratic National Committee vice chair Polly Baca, and former Democratic Vermont Gov. Madeleine Kunin, among others.

"We send them to conventions, seminars, regional meetings of leadership groups, associations," Hughes said, to " demystify the process and get them on the road to filing."

The organization is affiliated with Rutgers University's Center for American Women and Politics. Partner groups include the National Women's Political Caucus, Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Republican Majority for Choice and other mostly progressive groups.

Right now, the group is focusing on off-year legislative elections in New Jersey, Mississippi, Virginia and Louisiana.

If women are interested in becoming candidates, 2012 refers them to training groups such as the White House Project or Ready to Run, also affiliated with Rutgers.

"Anyone who comes to a presentation we do has already identified as a woman first. We don't get into what people's views are," Hughes said. "We will ultimately connect them with their state's party structure whether they are R or D."

Meanwhile, Smart Girls Politics is training conservative women to get involved in politics.

"It is important for conservatives to step up efforts to recruit and train women because we are an under-represented group at all levels of government," Smart Girl co-founder Teri Christoph said in an e-mail. "In addition, we bring a unique skill set that would improve the dynamic of any legislative body. I am hopeful that women like Sarah Palin and Michele Bachmann will inspire a whole new generation of conservative female candidates."

Christoph said the group isn't recruiting candidates for specific races, but is offering online training for members and non-members. A session Thursday included information on what to consider before becoming a candidate, including building a base of support.

"Once they decide to run, we offer follow-up training for building a campaign apparatus, fundraising, social media, and a host of other issues," she said in an e-mail.

Despite the publicity surrounding high-profile women candidates in 2010, the numbers in Congress declined slightly. Six women currently serve as governors, down from a high of nine in 2004 and again in 2007.

Hughes hopes to see improvement in 2012.

"We don't need thousands, we need really good people situated in competitive districts. We're very optimistic."

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Wisconsin Fight: Bill Limiting Unions Passes in Messy Process

Tom Diemer — 2011-03-10T18:40:00+00:00

Filed under: Democrats, Republicans, Budget, Governors, 2010 Elections, Jobs, Economy

A three-week stalemate that saw angry protests, the flight of Democratic state senators to a neighboring state and even a take-down tackle of one lawmaker by police came to an end Thursday as the Wisconsin Assembly gave final passage to a bill stripping public workers of key collective bargaining rights.

Democracy is often a messy thing -- and that has been on display in Madison on an almost dally basis, leading up to Thursday's conclusive 53-42 vote. Last week, Democratic legislator Nick Milroy, whom authorities did not recognize, was wrestled to the ground by police as he tried to enter the closed Capitol.

"Yeah, it was a living and breathing democracy," acknowledged Rep. Tim Ryan (D-Ohio), who is fighting a similar bill in Columbus.

Events in Wisconsin have demonstrated that elections have consequences -- and also that state government can often touch people's lives in a more direct and personal way than the federal government in far-off Washington. For weeks, thousands of citizens on both sides of the labor rights issue flooded the Statehouse in an effort to hold lawmakers accountable.

Already, Wisconsin Democrats have filed recall petitions aimed at eight GOP senators who supported Republican Gov. Scott Walker's proposal to curtail collective bargaining rights and require larger public employee contributions to pension plans and health care plans. Walker is expected to quickly sign the approved bill into law.

The hard feelings came to a head Wednesday night when the Wisconsin Senate, in a parliamentary maneuver, removed budget provisions from the bargaining bill so it could be passed with fewer than the 20-member quorum required for spending measures. Fourteen Senate Democrats left the state last month and camped out in Illinois to deny Republicans the quorum they needed to act on the "Budget Repair" bill.

With protesters shouting "You are cowards" and "Shame," the slimmed-down bill passed 18-1, with not a single Democratic senator in the chamber. It was taken up Thursday by the State Assembly, which had to concur with the Senate changes. But final passage was delayed by another noisy protest as police removed dozens of pro-labor demonstrators, the New York Times and the Associated Press reported.

Ryan, who joined a recent demonstration in Columbus against the collective bargaining bill pending in Ohio, followed the events in Wisconsin with a hopeful eye. "We are living with the consequences of an election where a lot of people didn't vote and a handful of people probably voted for the other guy," he said, suggesting that some Democratic voters switched sides in the Republican wave last November.

Events in Ohio and Wisconsin, he said, have "energized and mobilized what I think is a sleeping giant -- and that is the American work force." Ryan believes the political pendulum is about to swing again toward his party, but Democrats "need to get back to these bread and butter issues."

"We may lose this battle," he said of the pro-union side, "but we may ultimately win the war."

Watch the scene in Wisconsin Senate Wednesday night, courtesy of the MacIver Institute and YouTube.

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Rep. Alcee Hastings Sued for Sexual Harassment of Former Aide

Politics Daily Staff — 2011-03-08T10:50:00+00:00

Filed under: House, Democrats, Republicans, Scandal, Investigations, 2010 Elections, Congress, Conservatives

A conservative group with a proclivity for filing lawsuits has sued Florida Rep. Alcee Hastings, accusing the 74-year-old Democrat of sexual harassment of a woman who worked for a commission he once led.

Judicial Watch says Hastings made "unwelcome sexual advances" on policy adviser Winsome Packer between January 2008 and February 2010, when he co-chaired the U.S. Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe, the Washington Post reports. Hastings, who is divorced, denies the allegations.

The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, also accuses Hastings of retaliating against Packer after she rebuffed him -- threatening her job with the panel and marginalizing her. The harassment allegedly included unwanted hugs, "humiliating and inappropriate" questions in public settings and an invitation to accompany him alone to his hotel room.

"Ms. Packer was particularly vulnerable to such threats because she was a Republican working for the Democratically-controlled commission," the lawsuit asserts. ". . . Eventually, the emotional distress, anxiety and humiliation caused by the sexual harassment and retaliation caused Ms. Packer to suffer severe health problems and forced her to leave her prestigious position."

The commission, also known as the Helsinki Commission, and its former staff director Fred Turner, are also named as defendants. The lawsuit seeks unspecified damages and a public admission from Hastings that he violated Packer's rights.

Hastings, who gave up the commission leadership after Democrats lost control of the House last year, said a draft of the complaint that he'd seen was filled with "numerous inaccuracies and untruths." He told the Post, "I have never sexually harassed anyone. In fact, I am insulted that these ludicrous allegations are being made against me. When all the facts are known in this case, the prevailing sentiment will be, 'How bizarre.' "

In its 16-year history, Judicial Watch has filed dozens of lawsuits, mostly against Democrats, including at least 18 against the administration of former President Bill Clinton. Packer, a native of Jamaica, self-published a novel last year titled "A Personal Agenda," which was "inspired by her own experiences" and "offers a unique look at political relationships and aims to show that racial, cultural and sexual harassment knows no color," according to a publicist's news release.

Hastings, too, has a history. Now in his 10th term, he was accused of bribery and perjury, impeached by the U.S. House and removed from his post as a federal judge in 1989.

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N.C. Gov. Bev Perdue Vetoes Challenge to Health Care Reform Bill

Mary C. Curtis — 2011-03-07T12:45:00+00:00

Filed under: Democrats, Republicans, Health Care, Woman Up, Governors, 2010 Elections, Conservatives, 2012 Elections

North Carolina won't be joining the list of states challenging federal health care reform legislation -- not yet, anyway. Over the weekend, Gov. Bev Perdue, a Democrat, vetoed legislation passed by the GOP-controlled state legislature that challenges a provision that would require the purchase of health insurance.

In a statement, Perdue called the house bill "an ill-conceived piece of legislation that's not good for the people of North Carolina." She said the state law contradicts federal law, and that since 27 states are already challenging it, "this issue will reach the Supreme Court in a timely manner without North Carolina spending money and energy on it."

Nikki Haley Is Grading S.C. Lawmakers as She Advances Conservative Agenda

Mary C. Curtis — 2011-03-06T21:59:00+00:00

Filed under: Republicans, Budget, Woman Up, Governors, 2010 Elections, Conservatives, Tea Party, 2012 Elections

Nikki Haley is sending out report cards. She will be grading the votes of state legislators.

The governor's announcement last week came with a letter "To the People of South Carolina" that said: "The purpose of the report card is to track the results of legislation that are important to what you elected me to accomplish. And believe me, your voice is loud and clear: you want more transparency, more accountability, more efficiency, and you want it done with less of your money.

"This is not personal. This is not partisan. This is good government."

The 13 categories for judging state House and Senate members include votes on spending caps, requiring more on-the-record votes, requiring the governor and lieutenant governor to run together on one ticket, and votes to sustain Haley's vetoes on the budget. The card leaves space for "other issues to be determined."

While state Sen. David Thomas, a Republican from Greenville, told The State newspaper that he appreciated the report cards because they spelled out Haley's priorities, state Sen. Joel Lourie, a Democrat from Richland, called the report cards an offensive public relations stunt. "Am I supposed to take it home and get my mother to sign it?" Lourie said.

Haley was certainly clear about her uncompromising conservative views during her campaign against Democratic opponent Vincent Sheheen. In pre-election debates, she supported South Carolina's status as a right-to-work state and her intention to "keep unions out." The pro-business Haley also looked to corporations for solutions to the state's budget problems, suggesting that they step in to save libraries. But issues at times faded into the background amid charges that she had had extramarital affairs and name-calling (and that was just from her own party).

Haley also gently put distance between herself and her one-time mentor, former Gov. Mark Sanford. It wasn't just because of his messy public affair with a woman he called his soul mate. (He is now divorced.) It was also his reputation for butting heads with legislators and for such stunts as carrying two live pigs into the House chamber in 2004 to protest the override of his veto on a budget bill Sanford said contained "pork." He garnered national attention as a rising Republican star before his personal life unraveled over several news cycles.

The telegenic, Indian-American Haley started out a star, with the backing of the tea party and the support of Sarah Palin. Haley and her state are in no danger of disappearing off the national map, especially with South Carolina's first-in-the-South primary drawing all manner of presidential hopefuls, and a debate among them scheduled for May.

As governor, Haley is comfortable in the national spotlight, whether it is confronting the president in Washington or telling The New York Times magazine on Sunday, "I don't lose."

For now, the state's first female governor is following up on the vision she laid out in her State of the State address, which promised smaller government and specific cuts to trim South Carolina's budget shortfalls.

Her plans to cut $2.5 million in financing for the arts commission and more than $9.5 million to ETV have met resistance. ETV operates a statewide network of television and radio stations and a closed-circuit telecommunications system used by schools, government agencies and businesses. Though the system is popular, Haley's actions follow similar moves by state governments across the country.

Haley has also had a number of legislative successes, including bipartisan support on House measures to create a new Department of Administration under the governor's control, and to require the governor and lieutenant governor to run on the same ticket.

She remains firm in her opposition to federal health-care reform legislation; she has urged President Obama to let South Carolina opt out while it comes up with its own plan.

Speaking of her plans to issue her report card: "I understand that it is difficult for all 168 members of the General Assembly and I to agree, but certainly we can be united in recognizing that we do the people's work and it's to the people that we have to answer. My hope is that you find the report card useful in helping exercise the power of your voice and instructive when you go the polls to elect your chosen leaders."

And the elected officials she has pledged to work with?

"Let me be clear: I will give your legislators prior notice about where I stand on legislation, as I have done throughout the year thus far, so that they will know what could be included in the report card before votes are cast."

Presumably, Haley won't be grading on a curve.

Click here to follow Mary C. Curtis on Twitter.

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Most Americans Are Moderates -- and Thus Invisible

Mary C. Curtis — 2011-03-02T23:00:00+00:00

Filed under: Democrats, Republicans, Mike Huckabee, Sarah Palin, Obama Administration, 2012 President, Woman Up, Independents, 2010 Elections, Michelle Obama, Tea Party, Economy, Barack Obama, 2012 Elections

Most Americans want a compromise on the budget standoff, the polls say. They want strict controls to halt illegal immigration, but they want lawmakers to keep their hands off the 14^th Amendment, which grants automatic citizenship to anyone born on American soil, including those whose parents are on that soil illegally. Americans hurting the most are the ones who see hope ahead, not surprising since they have the most to lose when hope is gone.

According to polls that measure such things, Americans want their politicians to work together and to listen to the voices and opinions of the people, including people with differing views on solutions to the nation's problems. If, after a short-term solution expires, the government shuts down because of disagreement on the federal budget, the American people would blame congressional Republicans and the Obama administration equally, sensing not principled opposition but rather, political gamesmanship.

When it comes to social issues as political cudgels, gay marriage doesn't appear to be as divisive as it was just a few years ago, as Americans, including young evangelicals, are easing their opposition to such unions.

So what's with all the yelling, the lines drawn in the sand?

In Wisconsin, protesters in support of maintaining bargaining rights for public-sector unions have moved into the Statehouse, as Democratic senators moved out. Gov. Scott Walker is warning of layoffs when he's not taking calls from a faux David Koch. And an activist website has gummed up the works with its own protest of Walker's actions.

Meanwhile, a new poll says that though they question the power of labor unions, most Americans oppose taking away some of the collective bargaining rights of public-employee unions, and almost as many oppose cutting the pay or benefits of those workers.

These fights are framed in meanness. It always seems to come down to working people -- worried about falling further behind -- fighting one another over scraps.

This push and pull of common-sense reflection vs. loud bickering has invaded quarters once left alone. Michelle Obama can't get consensus for a benign platform of encouraging healthy eating and exercise; she's attacked by Sarah Palin, Rep. Michele Bachmann and Rush Limbaugh, who won't be satisfied until she subsists on tree bark and spring water. (His comparing her unfavorably to Sports Illustrated swimsuit models is just bizarre, as if he'd have a chance with either.)

Mike Huckabee, probable GOP presidential hopeful, would get credit for defending the first lady's initiative if he had not erroneously claimed that her husband, President Obama, was raised in Kenya.

One wonders how the first lady's support of military families will be turned into a negative, though I have confidence that someone will find a way.

But even as the volume is turned up and self-interest becomes paramount, those often characterized as the most intransigent can see all sides.

At an event headlined by the above-mentioned congresswoman from Minnesota, it was clear that true believers talk softly with nuance when given the chance. In the extremely red, GOP-controlled state of South Carolina, at a recent meeting of the S.C. Federation of Republican Women in Columbia, Bachmann was greeted like a rock star. As she ticked off the programs she had just voted against funding -- NPR, cap and trade and Planned Parenthood -- applause filled the room.

In conversations afterward, though, tea party and GOP activists expressed reservations about, for example, her emphasis on social issues. "I'm not like most Southerners that way," one woman told me, sounding very much like another Southern woman I had just talked with who had wished Republicans would talk less about faith-based political policies.

Another woman, who had worked in government before retiring, admitted -- quietly -- she thought that government could sometimes be a force for good. She had seen it work, she told me. Though she thought her views would be heresy in that room, her views support polls that show Americans want to reduce spending, but don't want to cut programs. That's a contradiction, to be sure, but no one ever said the logic reigns when the choices are tough.

People who loved Bachmann's energy were not yet convinced she should run for president in 2012. "I want to hear more" was something I heard a lot. Their ambivalence didn't negate the earlier cheers in the big room for sure-fire, red-meat lines. But it made the story more complicated than the usual headline or cable-show rant.

As the nonstop, never-ending campaign heats up from now until forever, will men and women speaking of compromise in reasonable tones drown out the hard-line partisans on every side? It will be up to the voters and the candidates they choose to reward and punish. In the 2010 midterms, the middle was the worst place to stake a claim, though every poll indicates that's where most Americans live.

Talk about a contradiction.

Click here to follow Mary C. Curtis on Twitter.

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Majority Leader Harry Reid Among 'Most Liberal' Senators

Politics Daily Staff — 2011-02-25T13:50:00+00:00

Filed under: Senate, House, Democrats, Republicans, 2010 Elections, Congress, Conservatives, Liberals, Moderates

New rankings of the Senate's most liberal members -- a list including Harry Reid and powerful committee chairmen Carl Levin and Patrick Leahy -- suggest moderates are fading from the scene on Capitol Hill.

Senate Majority Leader Reid (D-Nev.), who was elected to a fifth term in November, has become more liberal in his voting record in the past three years, the National Journal said in its annual rankings. The magazine had the Senate leader as the 22nd most liberal lawmaker in 2009 and 25th on its list the year before that.

Writer Ronald Brownstein said the vote ratings marked a peak in polarization in the Senate. For only the second time since 1982, every Senate Democrat last year earned a more liberal rating than every Republican -- and every Republican had a more conservative voting record than every Democrat.

The magazine monitors votes on a range of economic, social and foreign policy issues to measure ideology. Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) tied with seven other Republican senators on the most conservative list.

Reid's fellow liberals include Levin of Michigan, chairman of the Armed Services Committee, and Vermont's Leahy, who heads the Judiciary Committee which screens Supreme Court nominations as well as other federal judicial appointments. Also tied for first on the liberal list: Sens. Sherrod Brown of Ohio; Ben Cardin of Maryland; Barbara Mikulski, also of Maryland; Debbie Stabenow of Michigan; Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island and Bernie Sanders of Vermont. All are Democrats except Sanders, an independent, who caucuses with the Democats.

Seven House members shared first place on the National Journal's most liberal list -- all are Democrats, four of them are women. They are: Reps. Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin; Judy Chu of California; John Lewis of Georgia; Jerrold Nadler of New York; John Olver of Massachusetts; Jan Schakowsky of Illinois and Linda Sanchez of California.

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Will Christine O'Donnell Step Up on 'Dancing With the Stars'? Stay Tuned, She Says

Politics Daily Staff — 2011-02-23T10:24:00+00:00

Filed under: Senate, Democrats, Republicans, Gaffes, Humor, 2010 Elections, Conservatives, Tea Party

Christine O'Donnell didn't make it as a conservative, tea party-backed Senate candidate in Delaware. But can she cut the rug on "Dancing With the Stars"?

O'Donnell, who once acknowledged dabbling in witchcraft as a teenager, says she's been approached by the ABC hit program about being a contestant on its 12th season. The show, which famously featured Bristol Palin last year, will announce its new lineup next week, according to the New York Daily News.

On her Facebook page, O'Donnell mulled the DWTS offer she said she'd received, but expressed doubts about her ability as a hoofer. "I just got the Official 'Ask' from Dancing With The Stars!!" she posted. "Although I am utterly flattered, my initial thought was to decline, as 2 year old nephew has more rhythm than me, and my two left feet!!"

That would seem like a pretty good reason to say no. But then again, O'Donnell shocked the political world when she upset former Rep. Mike Castle in the Delaware GOP Senate primary last year, before losing in November to Democrat Chris Coons. During her campaign, O'Donnell ran a TV spot in which she proclaimed, "I'm not a witch" -- a response to long-ago remarks she made on Bill Maher's "Politically Incorrect" TV show. She later said the ad was a mistake.

O'Donnell wouldn't be the first pol to compete in the televised dance competition. Former Rep. Tom Delay -- recently sentenced to three years in prison for money laundering -- took part in 2009, though he was hampered by a foot injury.

She got plenty advice about the DWTS show on Facebook. On Monday, she wrote that the comments offered "great pro and cons" about her latest possible adventure. "Thank you for your input. Still undecided. Book comes first."

That's right. O'Donnell's writing a book about her experiences running for the Senate last year.

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John Boehner's 'Naked Lunch' Moment

David Corn — 2011-02-18T05:00:00+00:00

Filed under: Deep Background, 2010 Elections, Jobs, Economy, John Boehner

Does House Speaker John Boehner have any shame? You don't have to answer. That's a rhetorical question.

This past week, the Republican from Ohio put on one of the crassest performances seen in Washington in years. In a matter of seconds, he reached a level of hypocrisy that far exceeded the standard political norm and demonstrated that (despite his habit of crying at the first sign of an emotional moment) he has little empathy for many of his fellow Americans.

You will recall that during the 2010 congressional elections, Boehner had essentially only one thing to say: "Mr. President, where are the jobs?" It didn't matter to him that the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office had concluded (as of last August) that the Obama administration's recovery package had created or saved 3.3 million jobs and had lowered the unemployment rate by as much as 1.8 percent. Boehner incessantly and derisively repeated this talking point (no doubt tested with focus groups and polling) and gave up any pretense of having a serious discussion. His "where are the jobs" tag line was designed to suggest that there were no jobs -- to shortcut the facts. It was a brilliant piece of political rhetoric: misleading, but effective. He was engaged in the practice of the Big Lie. Boehner was so proud of his ability to shape -- or pervert -- the national political discourse, his office produced a video in October showing that his favorite line had become accepted and echoed throughout the mainstream media.

Asking again and again about jobs made it seem as if Boehner cared about the millions of unemployed Americans. But this week, he showed he doesn't have much compassion for the unemployed. At a press conference, he was asked about the loss of jobs that could be caused by the GOP's effort to slash $61 billion from government programs. "So be it," he replied, noting that over the past two years Obama has added 200,000 workers to the federal government.

Boehner was dead wrong about the 200,000 figure. (Politifact.com judged it a false statement). More important was Boehner's attitude. One federal budget expert estimates that the Republican cuts could lead to 1 million people losing their jobs (650,000 of them federal workers). Boehner displayed no concern for these folks -- and no concern about the economic consequences of adding 1 million to the ranks of the unemployed. It was a callous dismissal. He didn't even grant these Americans the courtesy of crocodile tears.

It's easy to pick on federal workers. But these are the people who safeguard our food supply, protect our water and air, guide the airliners that carry us, research cures for diseases, maintain our national parks, ensure that products from overseas are safe, respond to natural disasters, and guard our leaders. Why disparage them so and treat them as if they don't matter?

Boehner and his fellow Republicans have a theory: The best way to aid the economy and create jobs is to slash government spending (while giving tax breaks to the wealthy) and reduce the deficits (which are exacerbated by those tax cuts). This notion -- which counters the idea that at a time of economic trouble the government needs to rev up the economy by spending and investing -- does not have much historical precedent. Certainly, not the Reagan years. Unemployment and inflation back then did drop after the initial Reagan recession, but Reagan added to the deficits. In fact, David Stockman, Reagan's budget guru, now contends that Reagan kick-started the process that has led to the fiscal trouble of today.

So Boehner's one big idea may be wrong and misguided. Still, if he believes it, he ought to be less Scrooge-like. His lack of sympathy for those who could lose their jobs due to the proposal he's pushing is stunning and belies his where-are-the-jobs mantra of the previous campaign. In a less-imperfect world, he'd be ridden out of Washington on a rail for such coldheartedness, his duplicity denounced far and wide (and maybe even on Fox News). But all that ensues is a day or two of bad press, with liberal partisans griping about his insensitivity. And the moment gets lost in the wash.

But it was an exchange to remember. In explaining how he had come to title a novel "Naked Lunch," William Burroughs said that beat author Jack Kerouac had suggested it and that "the title means exactly what the words say: naked lunch, a frozen moment when everyone sees what is on the end of every fork." This week Boehner had his naked lunch moment -- and what was on the fork was ugly and, worse, mean.

You can follow David Corn's postings and media appearances via Twitter.

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Obama Poll Ratings Show Some Gains in Key States, but He's Not Out of the Woods

Bruce Drake — 2011-02-17T06:30:00+00:00

Filed under: Democrats, Republicans, Polls, 2012 President, Poll Watch, Independents, 2010 Elections, Barack Obama

During last year's elections, when polls were showing things headed south for many Democrats in key battleground states like Pennsylvania and Ohio, they also included warning signs for President Obama and his reelection chances in 2012.

In a new set of polls, Obama's numbers in those two swing states, which were looking troublesome last summer, have improved, just as his standings in national polls have risen recently. However, that rebound does not return him to the point where it could be said he has regained the kind of strength he had in 2008.

Surveys this month and last by Quinnipiac University show Obama with his most positive marks in Pennsylvania since July 2009 and improved numbers in the key swing state of Ohio. However, his job approval numbers remain stuck just below 50 percent in the pivotal state of Florida, and voters there are divided on whether he deserves reelection.

One of the key elements in last year's drop in support for Obama and the Democrats was the defection of independents, who had been strongly in their corner in 2008. The Quinnipiac polls produced mixed results for Obama on this front with his support among independents picking up in Pennsylvania, but not showing improvement in Ohio and Florida.

Here's a round-up of the trends in the three states:

Pennsylvania

When Quinnipiac polled the state last July, independents disapproved of the job Obama was doing by a 53 percent to 40 percent margin with 8 percent undecided, (the numbers are rounded up). When Obama carried the state by 54 percent to 44 percent in 2008, exit polls showed independents were behind him by 58 percent to 39 percent, with 3 percent not disclosing their preferences.

Obama's poor showing in the July poll prompted Quinnipiac to say at the time, "When a politician's approval rating is down 13 points among independent voters, that is generally a sign of political vulnerability." Voters overall said by a 6 point margin that Obama didn't deserve a second term which, Quinnipiac said, "also should make the White House nervous, especially since Pennsylvania has not voted Republican for president since 1988."

Things look better for Obama in the latest Quinnipiac survey, conducted Feb. 8-14. Fifty-one percent approve of the job he is doing compared to 44 percent who do not, with 5 percent undecided. That's his highest mark since July 2009 when the percentage of those who approved stood at 56 percent.

The improvement was driven by a turnaround among independents who approved of his performance by a 50 percent to 46 percent margin, with 4 percent undecided, compared to last December when 42 percent disapproved and 41 percent approved, with 17 percent undecided. Women in particular gave Obama high marks in the new poll, approving of his performance by a 55 percent to 39 percent margin, with 5 percent undecided, while men are roughly split in their view of him.

Former Sen. Russ Feingold Launches 'Progressive Movement'

Tom Diemer — 2011-02-16T14:11:00+00:00

Filed under: Senate, Democrats, 2010 Elections, Campaigns, Liberals, Tea Party, Supreme Court

Former Wisconsin Sen. Russ Feingold, regarded as liberal but independent during his three terms in the Senate, says he is starting a "progressive" movement to support like-minded candidates and fight the influence of corporate money in campaigns.

Feingold, who was defeated in his bid for reelection in November, has rejected calls from some liberal voices to challenge President Obama as a candidate of the political left in the 2012 Democratic primaries. Instead of returning to electoral politics, he said in a new video he's forming Progressives United, a group that will have a political action committee to raise money and back candidates that "uphold our progressive ideals."

"As progressives, it's time we made our voices heard," the 57-year-old lawyer said.

Best known as co-sponsor of the McCain-Feingold campaign finance reform law, Feingold made it clear that countering corporate cash will be a focal point. His reform law was was undermined by last year's Supreme Court Citizens United opinion, which removed most barriers to spending by corporate and union interest on campaign advertising. Feingold called it "one of the most lawless decisions" in American history.

"Our fight is not over," he said. "Together we'll start a movement."

Feingold's organization says it will will push back against the flood of business money going largely to Republicans, and aim at "eventually overturning the Citizens United decision," The Hill newspaper reported.

Feingold, a graduate of the Harvard Law School, took a job teaching law at Marquette University in Milwaukee after leaving the Senate. He lost to conservative businessman Ron Johnson, who was supported by the tea party movement.

Watch the video, courtesy YouTube.

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Obama Budget Due Monday as Debate Nears on Raising Debt Ceiling

Tom Diemer — 2011-02-12T23:00:00+00:00

Filed under: George W. Bush, Bush Administration, Senate, House, Democrats, Republicans, Environment, State of the Union, Budget, Education, Obama Administration, 2010 Elections, Congress, Conservatives, Deficit, Tea Party, Military, Economy, Barack Obama

It's crunch time. With deficit hawks hovering, President Obama will offer his 2012 budget Monday, a spending package likely to include enough cuts to offend liberals, but not enough to mollify conservatives.

But that's just an opener. House Republicans, facing an early March deadline to finish business on the current budget, are also feeling the heat -- both from tea party activists and from penny pinchers among the broader membership. A proposal unveiled Wednesday to trim as little as $35 billion or as much as $74 billion -- depending on whose baseline you use -- was met with scorn by determined budget-cutters in the new Republican majority.

Looking for a fiscal trifecta? A debate on raising the nation's debt ceiling is on the horizon.

House Republicans Botch Second Bill as New Majority Is on Tough Learning Curve

Tom Diemer — 2011-02-10T12:54:00+00:00

Filed under: House, Democrats, Republicans, Gaffes, Foreign Policy, National Security, 2010 Elections, Congress, Conservatives, Tea Party, John Boehner

For a second day, the new House Republican majority botched a bill that leaders were so certain would pass they put it on a fast-track procedure that required a two-thirds vote for approval.

The measure, a demand for a $179 million repayment from the United Nations, fell short of that super-majority on Wednesday. In setting themselves up for failure, the GOP leadership violated a well-known Capitol Hill rule: Don't allow a bill to go to the House floor unless you are certain ahead of time that you have sufficient votes for its passage.

"We have been in the majority for four weeks," House Speaker John Boehner told the New York Times after the U.N. bill missed the two-thirds mark by 25 votes. "We are not going to be perfect every day."

A less than perfect day got worse early Wednesday evening when New York Rep. Christopher Lee, a Republican, resigned his House seat. That came after a racy, shirtless photo showed up on the Internet from a Craigslist posting in which Lee appeared to be advertising himself to an unnamed single woman.

Lee, who is married, was in his second term. But 87 Republicans are freshmen -- many aligned with the conservative tea party movement -- and it seems they don't take direction very well.

The U.N. bill should have been a no-brainer for the Republican leadership: a claim that the United States had overpaid the international organization and should be reimbursed. But at least some of the money being demanded has been pledged for security improvements at the U.N. headquarters in New York City. And the threat to those funds turned Rep. Peter King (R-N.Y.) and one freshman Republican against the measure, Bloomberg reported.

King, chairman of the Homeland Security Committee, and Rep. Michael Grimm (R-N.Y.) joined with most of the Democrats in denying the legislation the votes it needed. The embarrassment came one day after more than two dozen Republicans defected during a House roll call that ended up seven votes short of passing extensions of surveillance provisions in the Patriot Act.

Boehner, an Ohio Republican in his 11th term, served as minority leader before succeeding Rep. Nancy Pelosi as speaker after the GOP captured the majority last November. He is expected to bring both of the challenged bills back for second votes -- this time using parliamentary procedures requiring only a simple majority.

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House Republicans Swing Budget Ax at 70 Items -- From Amtrak to Expectant Moms

Tom Diemer — 2011-02-09T14:50:00+00:00

Filed under: Senate, Democrats, Republicans, Budget, Obama Administration, 2010 Elections, Congress, Conservatives, Deficit, Tea Party, Barack Obama

Trying to deliver on campaign promises to shrink spending, House Republicans took aim Wednesday at 70 items in the federal budget where they say tens of billions of dollars in savings can be achieved through cuts.

House Appropriations Chairman Hal Rogers (R-Ky.) said his plan, if approved, "will represent the largest reduction in discretionary spending in the history of our nation." The targeted programs include the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, a nutrition program for pregnant women and children, flood control, Amtrak, the EPA and clean coal technology.

Anti-Abortion Bills Crowding Onto U.S. House Agenda

Tom Diemer — 2011-02-09T11:17:00+00:00

Filed under: House, Democrats, Republicans, Abortion, 2010 Elections, Congress, Barack Obama, John Boehner

In a year when fixing the economy is expected to dominate debate on Capitol Hill, abortion -- an issue that won't go away -- is crowding onto the Republican agenda.

Two bills -- one permanently barring taxpayer funding of abortions and the other forbidding federally financed abortion coverage under the new health care law -- got hearings this week in the House. And they riled up activists on both sides of the debate.

Emotions came to the fore Tuesday at a House Judiciary subcommittee hearing on the No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act. It attempts to write into permanent law the 1976 Hyde Amendment, which prohibits federal dollars from being used to pay for abortions through Medicaid or any other federal program. The Hyde Amendment must be renewed annually.

That bill, sponsored by Rep. Chris Smith (R-N.J.), would also re-impose a ban on government funding of abortion in Washington D.C. That provision brought out about a dozen red-bandana-wearing activists protesting what they saw as an infringement on the city's right to self-govern. They made their point and left the Capitol Hill hearing room without incident.

A supporter of the bill, Kelly Fiedorek, told the Washington Post that consideration of anti-abortion legislation is consistent with a focus on jobs. "We are in a financial crisis," said Fiedorek, a staff attorney for Americans United for Life, "so this ensures that federal taxpayer funds are going to things that are important to the American people and not to something like abortion."

The second bill in play would amend the health care reform law to ensure that it does not permit abortion coverage. Advocates for the law have argued that it already rules out using any federal money for abortions. President Obama even signed an executive order reiterating the restriction. But many Republicans insist that provisions of the law could subsidize abortion providers and they campaigned on the issue last fall.

The measure, set for a hearing Wednesday in an Energy and Commerce health subcommittee, has bipartisan sponsorship in Reps. Joe Pitts (R-Pa.) and Dan Lipinski (D-Ill.) It also would prevent the government from denying funding to hospitals or other institutions that don't want to provide abotions.

Action on the abortion bills comes as no great surprise, as House Speaker John Boehner is anti-abortion and promised to be the "most pro-life speaker ever." Boehner may well have enough votes to get both bills through the GOP-controlled House.

Even so, Nancy Keenan, president of NARAL Pro-Choice America, questioned, "What happened to the jobs agenda?" when the legislation was introduced last month. "How many people will be employed as part of their campaign to attack a woman's right to choose?"

On Tuesday, Sen. Al Franken was one of a half-dozen Democratic senators objecting to the House bills. "Supporting a woman's right to make decisions about her health means ensuring that women can access the full range of reproductive health care services safely and with dignity," he said in a statement.

Sen. Barbara Boxer said, "We are sending a clear message to House Republicans that their agenda on women's health is extreme, it breaks faith with a decades-long bipartisan compromise and it risks the health and lives of women."

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House Rejects Extension of Patriot Act Wiretaps -- for Now at Least

Tom Diemer — 2011-02-09T09:46:00+00:00

Filed under: Democrats, Republicans, Obama Administration, National Security, 2010 Elections, Congress, Conservatives, Tea Party, Barack Obama

In a setback for the new Republican leadership, the House refused to extend surveillance sections of the Patriot Act that allow government to use roving wiretaps on terror suspects and also gain access to tangible items such as library records.

An unlikely alliance of Republicans and Democrats -- joined by a concern for individual liberties -- brought the bill down Tuesday night. It mustered majority support in the 277-148 vote, but fell seven short of the two-thirds needed to pass under a speed-up procedure.

GOP leaders blamed Democrats for the measure's defeat and said they had voted against the wishes of President Obama, who favors an extension until late 2013. The bill at hand would have re-authorized the controversial provisions, due to expire at the end of the month, through Dec. 8. They were enacted in reaction to 9/11, when many members of both parties feared more large-scale terrorist attacks were imminent.

"Democrats in Congress voted to deny their own administration's request for key weapons in the war on terror," Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) told the Washington Post.

Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-Ohio), a civil libertarian and persistent critic of the Patriot Act, didn't apologize. Noting that 26 Republicans -- some of them elected with tea party backing -- voted against the extension, he said he now has company in his fight to rein in threats to individual liberties made in the name of national security.

"Remember the American Revolution: We didn't hear 'Give me liberty or give me a wiretap,' " Kucinich said. "We didn't hear 'Don't tread on me . . . but it's okay to spy.' "

"Many members of Congress, including those supported by my friends in the tea party, maintain their goal is to get rid of big government, to get government out of our lives," Kucinich said during House debate on the measure. ". . . Some want to get government out of health care, some want to get government out of retirement security. How about getting government out of people's bedrooms -- out of people's financial records and people's medical records? Vote no."

Enough did -- this time. House leaders are expected to bring back the bill later this month under regular rules, requiring only a simple majority to pass.

In addition to maintaining the government's authority to move wiretaps around on targets without getting multiple court orders, the bill permits the FBI to apply for special authority to get access to "any tangible item" in foreign intelligence, international terrorism and certain other intelligence cases. It would also allow surveillance of terror suspects not linked to any specific group.

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Colorado GOP Chairman Dick Wadhams, 'Tired of the Nuts,' Steps Down

Sandra Fish — 2011-02-08T15:40:00+00:00

Filed under: Republicans, Independents, 2010 Elections, Tea Party, 2012 Elections

Saying he's "tired of the nuts who have no grasp of what the state party's role is," Colorado Republican Chairman Dick Wadhams won't run for re-election, setting up a potential free-for-all for the top job in one of the few states where GOP results were mixed in the 2010 midterms.

The departure of Wadhams, a political fixture in what's become a purple state, could mean trouble for the GOP going into the 2012 presidential election. With tea party activists fired up to take control of the party operations, despite failures of their annointed candidates in the U.S. Senate and gubernatorial races, Wadhams cautioned the party stands the chance of losing Colorado's large unaffiliated voter base.

Dan Maes, the GOP candidate for governor this past November, won only 11 percent of the vote after former U.S. Rep. Tom Tancredo bolted to a third party to run against him. Democrat John Hickenlooper, then Denver mayor, won the governor's seat handily as Republicans devolved into a nasty battle over which candidate to support. Some criticized Wadhams for not vetting candidates such as the unknown Maes, while others complained that the party chairman acted against grassroots activists who supported Maes and others backed by the tea party.

That rift spilled over into the often-overlooked battle for state party chair.

State Sen. Ted Harvey announced plans to challenge Wadhams in the March election, saying he would bring "better talent, funding and conservative leadership than we have had in the race." Tancredo, who abandoned the American Constitution Party after the election to return to the GOP, also spoke out against Wadhams being elected to a third term as party chairman.

Meanwhile, Maes referred to Harvey as a "traitor" who assisted the "old guard mentality" (i.e., Tancredo) in a recent Facebook post.

Wadhams said he expected to win re-election, but had tired of "those who are obsessed with seeing conspiracies around every corner." In an e-mail to state central committee members, he cautioned against letting the party be taken over by those who claim the banner of true conservatives, writing that "the ability of Colorado Republicans to win and retain the votes of hundreds of thousands of unaffiliated swing voters in 2012 will be severely undermined."

Indeed, unaffiliated voters delivered a narrow November victory to incumbent Democratic Sen. Michael Bennet over tea party-backed GOP challenger Ken Buck. Those voters make up about one-third of the state's voting base, and also helped Barack Obama win the state in 2008.

"Dick is undoubtedly correct that winning unaffiliated voters is the key to winning a statewide majority," Colorado conservative blogger Joshua Sharf wrote. "As is true for both parties, winning without your base, or with only your base, isn't possible."

What happens next in Colorado will determine the strength of the tea party activists and their allies in the far right of the party. GOP primary challenges from the right in the past often set the stage for Democratic victories, with the Democrats selecting moderate candidates and creating organizations outside the party to support their candidates. And despite losses in the Senate and governor's races, the GOP did win back two U.S. House seats, two statewide elected offices and a majority in the state House in the 2010 election.

More candidates are likely to enter the GOP chairman's race with Wadhams' exit -- and the race may be a true test of the old guard vs. the new activists.

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Jobless Rate Lowest Since April 2009, but Still at 9 Percent

Lynn Sweet — 2011-02-04T09:38:00+00:00

Filed under: House, Republicans, State of the Union, Obama Administration, 2010 Elections, Unemployment, Jobs, White House, Economy, Barack Obama, John Boehner

The national jobless rate dropped to 9 percent in January -- a decline of 0.4 percent, the government reported. The downtick comes as unemployment has hovered above 9 percent for the past 20 months -- and the Obama White House sharpens its focus on job creation.

But only 36,000 jobs were added to the economy last month. "Employment rose in manufacturing and in retail trade, but was down in construction and in transportation and warehousing," the Labor Department said Friday. "Employment in most other major industries changed little over the month."

On Friday, the White House cited efforts to create jobs through innovation.

Tea Party Hero Rand Paul Favors Compromise But on His Terms

Tom Diemer — 2011-02-02T14:29:00+00:00

Filed under: Senate, Republicans, 2010 Elections, Congress, Conservatives, Liberals, Deficit, Tea Party

Freshman Sen. Rand Paul, an advocate for the conservative tea party movement, waxed eloquent in his maiden Senate speech about the perilous nature of compromise, the national debt and the historic argument over slavery.

Though he said there was no "moral equivalency," Paul compared the current debt debate to the 19th century slavery dispute between free states and slaves states.

Paul (R-Ky.) has been assigned the Senate desk of Sen. Henry Clay, who also represented Kentucky and was known as the "Great Compromiser," in part for his efforts to settle the nation's differences over slavery before the Civil War.

Paul has mixed feelings about Clay -- and also the art of compromise.

During his Senate orientation, Paul said a colleague asked him, "'Will you be a great compromiser?'" Paul said Wednesday that he had pondered the question long and hard. "Is compromise the noble position? Is compromise a sign of enlightenment?"

Clay, a slave owner, made compromises on the issue that were meant to avert war, but were "morally wrong and may have even encouraged war," Paul said. His estranged cousin, Cassius Clay, on the other hand, was an "unapologetic" abolitionist who broke with his more famous relative over the issue and "refused to compromise" on slavery.

"Who are our heroes?" Paul mused. "Are we fascinated and enthralled by the Great Compromiser or his cousin Cassius Clay?"

As he legislates, Paul said he would keep in mind Henry Clay's "lifelong desire to forge agreement," but also the stand taken by his cousin "who refused to forsake the life of any human simply to find agreement."

Having given fellow senators a history lesson, Paul turned to the modern-day business of trillion dollar plus budget deficits -- a prime target of the grassroots, anti-big government tea party movement. "Will the tea party compromise? Can the tea party work with others to find a solution?" The answer, Paul said, is that any deficit reduction "compromise" must be over where to cut spending and by how much -- "not where we raise taxes."

Any compromise on the deficit, he added, must include conservatives "acknowledging we can cut military spending and liberals acknowledging we can cut domestic spending." At a first-termer, Paul is not a leader in the Senate, but he will be watched as a barometer of the tea party's influence.

Paul, a libertarian who was named after the novelist Ayn Rand, is the son of Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas) who ran for president in 2008. During his Senate campaign, Rand Paul came under fire when he seemed to fudge when asked in interviews how he would have voted on the landmark Civil Rights Act of 1964. Paul said he was troubled by laws that impinge on the rights of private ownership.

Watch the Senate speech, courtesy of YouTube.

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