The Week looks at five ways Mitt Romney’s bungled trip hurt him.
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Obama Gambles on Going Negative
New York Times: “As the campaigns prepare for the next phase of the race, the two sides are taking stock of what they have achieved in their first sustained engagement, a relentlessly negative effort over the last two months to define the other. The exchanges have been so fierce that hardly a positive ad has been broadcast in July.”
“But both the opportunities and the risks in the definition wars are greater for Mr. Obama. Mr. Romney is less well known to the public, giving Democrats a chance to shape perceptions of him just as more voters are starting to tune in to the race.”
“The president’s prospects for re-election now rest in part on one of the biggest gambles of his career: that the benefits of trying to eviscerate Mr. Romney outweigh the costs to his own image and reputation. ”
Romney Will Allow Media Into Fundraiser
Mitt Romney’s campaign “reversed its decision to bar reporters from an upcoming fund-raiser in Jerusalem, saying on Sunday it will now allow a pool of journalists to cover the presumptive GOP nominee’s remarks,” CNN reports.
“The reporters, however, will be escorted out before Romney takes questions from the audience during the event on Monday.”
Quote of the Day
“We got a problem because we’ve got a president who’s all foam and no beer.”
— Former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, quoted by NBC News, campaigning for Mitt Romney in North Carolina.
Powerful Lawmaker Diagnosed with Cancer
Rep. Dave Camp (R-MI), the chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, says he’s been diagnosed with a “very early, highly treatable and curable type” of cancer, the Detroit News reports.
Camp said in a statement “that doctors found non-Hodgkin lymphoma during a recent physical. Camp says he’ll continue in Congress and retain his committee chairmanship during chemotherapy.”
What It Takes to Win — and Hold — the White House
The New York Times reviews The Candidate: What It Takes to Win — and Hold — the White House by Samuel L. Popkin.
The author “has attempted to write a kind of management bible for the business of presidential campaigning. Polling, strategy and even a candidate’s platform… are less important than organization: how a candidate parcels out authority, how his staff manages his time and attention, and whether his campaign can respond quickly to the chaos and shifting demands of the trail… Like any management guru, Popkin comes bearing case studies.”
Romney Bans Media from Jerusalem Fundraiser
Mitt Romney arrived in Jerusalem and was scheduled to attend a fundraiser on Monday but his campaign announced “that it would block the news media from covering the event,” the Washington Post reports.
“The campaign’s decision to close the fundraiser to the press violates the ground rules it negotiated with news organizations in April… Under the agreement, a pool of wire, print and television reporters can cover every Romney fundraiser held in public venues, including hotels and country clubs. The campaign does not allow media coverage of fundraisers held in private residences.”
A spokesman “declined to explain the campaign’s decision to violate protocol with the Jerusalem event.”
Mark Halperin: “With Sheldon Adelson expected to be in the house (the King David hotel) and a restive traveling press corps, this might not be the best way, however, to change the trajectory of the media narrative.”
Obama Lead Narrows in Pennsylvania
A new Susquehanna Polling & Research survey in Pennsylvania found President Obama leading Mitt Romney by just three points, 46% to 43%.
In June, Obama led by five points, 48% to 43%.
Key findings: “Nearly 80% of voters in the poll said they had seen campaign ads from the candidates. Just 39% view Romney favorably, compared with 41% who have an unfavorable view of him. Voters are almost evenly split on their opinions of Obama, 46% favorable and 45% unfavorable.”
Poll Suggests McCaskill Headed for Defeat
A new Mason-Dixon poll in Missouri shows Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-MO) trailing all of her potential GOP challengers.
John Brunner (R) tops McCaskill, 52% to 41%, Sarah Steelman (R) leads 49% to 41% and Todd Akin (R) is ahead 49% to 44%.
Obama Just Ahead in Ohio
A new Magellan Strategies (R) poll in Ohio finds President Obama leading Mitt Romney by just two points in the key swing state, 45% to 43%.
Jewish Americans Overwhelmingly Back Obama
On the eve of Mitt Romney’s trip to Israel, a new Gallup poll finds 68% of Jewish Americans support President Obama for re-eelction, while 25% support Mitt Romney.
Romney Looks to Salvage Foreign Trip
Mitt Romney’s missteps on his trip abroad “have drawn extensive mockery in Britain and public consternation from both Republicans and Democrats in the United States, and his campaign advisers were at a loss Friday to put a positive spin on the story — other than to look ahead to the next two stops on his tour,” the Washington Post reports.
“Romney arrived in London under a bright spotlight, as expected, but apparently without a strategy for conveying a message to voters back home — such as reminding Americans of his widely lauded stewardship of the 2002 Winter Olympics or promoting his foreign-policy vision.”
“As a result, there is now immense pressure on him to find better footing in Israel and Poland. Romney’s advisers hope his events in Jerusalem on Sunday — when he will lock arms with Israeli leaders — could create a moment of strength that might redefine the candidate’s intensely scrutinized audition as a statesman.”
Daily Beast: Romney alienates England.
Jackson Being Treated for Depression
Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. (D-IL) is at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota “for extensive inpatient evaluation for depression and gastrointestinal issues,” the Chicago Tribune reports.
“Jackson’s whereabouts have been a mystery since he went on medical leave June 10. The statement issued Friday said the congressman ‘has arrived at Mayo Clinic,’ but did not say where he came from.”
Ascent of the A-Word
In the mail: Ascent of the A-Word: Assholism, the First Sixty Years by Geoffrey Nunberg.
“The asshole has become a focus of collective fascination for us, just as the phony was for Holden Caulfield and the cad was for Anthony Trollope. From Donald Trump to Ann Coulter, from Mel Gibson to Anthony Weiner, from the reality TV prima donnas to the internet trolls and flamers, assholism has become the characteristic form of modern incivility, which implicitly expresses our deepest values about class, relationships, authenticity, and fairness. We have conflicting attitudes about the A-word — when a presidential candidate unwittingly uttered it on a live mic in 2000, it confirmed to some that he was a man of the people and to others that he was a boor. But considering how much the word does for us, and to us, it hasn’t gotten nearly the attention it deserves — at least until now.”
Debates Will Feature “Topic Pods”
Scott Conroy previews the rules of this fall’s presidential debates which will feature six 15-minute topic “pods” focused on a single issue.
“The topics for each pod will be announced in September by the moderators, whom the CPD commissioners will select and reveal in mid-August. [Commission on Presidential Debates co-chairman Frank] Fahrenkopf said that he expects the pods in the first debate — which will focus on domestic policy — to address major topics like unemployment, education, and the deficit.”
The GOP’s Rick Scott Problem
Businessweek says Florida Gov. Rick Scott (R) — and his dismal 31% approval rating — could be a liability for Republicans as they descend on the state for their national convention.
Emails Show a Troubled Governor
A series of about 100 emails released to the Reno Gazette-Journal “gives a glimpse into the day-to-day dealings of the administration of Gov. Jim Gibbons in 2008 — a time when the governor faced a divorce, infidelity accusations, an FBI investigation and assault allegations by a Las Vegas cocktail waitress.”
“The electronic correspondence reveals a troubled man who received support from numerous close friends, as well as a state leader who was well-connected with many powerful and wealthy people. Gibbons continually communicated with a shortlist of supporters and attempted on several occasions to keep his administration’s activities closed to the public.”
Vintage-Look Political Posters
Fab has some great political posters designed to look like vintage prints from the mid-1900s.
My favorites are Attack of the Conservatives and Attack of the Liberals but they also have Vote Democrat, Vote Republican, Mitt Happens and No Bama.
