A new Rasmussen survey in Florida finds Herman Cain leading the Republican field with 30%, followed by Mitt Romney at 24% and Newt Gingrich at 19%.
Angriest Congressman Ever?
Rep. Joe Walsh (R-IL) got a little heated at a local restaurant and started screaming at his constituents.
Paul Calls Obama an “Elected Dictator”
Ron Paul told Fox News that President Obama use of executive orders “brings the modern presidency dangerously close to an elective dictatorship.”
Said Paul: “It is flaunting the Constitution and the whole principle of how we’re supposed to operate. The idea they can just do this and take over the legislative function and brag about it — and Congress does nothing and the courts do nothing about it, it’s very, very bad.”
He added: “He’s dictatorial, is what he is.”
Romney Leads Close Race in South Carolina
A new Clemson Palmetto Poll in South Carolina finds Mitt Romney edging Herman Cain in the GOP presidential race among those who have decided on a candidate, 22% to 20%, with Newt Gingrich at 10% and Rick Perry at 9%.
All other candidates are at 3% or less.
Big caveat: 68% of those polled had not yet decided on a
candidate and a similar number said they were most likely to change
their minds between now and January when they do have a choice.
Latino Voters Still Back Obama
A new Univision poll of Latino voters in 21 states with the largest Latino populations finds President Obama with a strong advantage among that growing demographic group.
In general election match ups against the three top Republican contenders, Obama earns between 65% and 68% of the vote — roughly the same percentage of the Hispanic vote he won in 2008.
Key finding: “Latinos are not as torn about the president as the rest of the country: 66% of Latinos approve of the job Obama has done, while only 29% disapprove.”
Gingrich Schools Piers Morgan in Politics
Piers Morgan made a big mistake trying to explain “the reality of politics” to Newt Gingrich, who wasn’t pleased to hear he was jockeying to be the anti-Mitt Romney candidate in the GOP presidential field.
Said Gingrich: “Now, see, this is what I find fascinating, okay. I’ve been involved with politics since 1958. I helped grow the modern Republican Party of Georgia. I helped create a national majority, and you’re explaining to me the reality of politics.”
He added: “The reality of politics is if you have a good enough leader who is positive enough, they can ignore the other candidates, they can create a positive majority around a positive set of solutions, and let the other candidate worry about me.”
Bonus Quote of the Day
“The Republican Party has totally abdicated its job in our democracy, which is to act as the guardian of fiscal discipline and responsibility. They’re on an anti-tax jihad — one that benefits the prosperous classes.”
— Former Reagan budget director David Stockman, in an interview with Rolling Stone.
GOP Wives Club
Mary Kaye Huntsman, Anita Perry and Callista Gingrich “have bonded amid the heated GOP presidential campaign and animosity that’s part and parcel of high-stakes political battles” and have become friends, ABC News reports.
“The women, they agree, are too busy focusing on motherhood and each other’s well-being to let their husbands’ jousting get in the way… While they see each other at debates and other major political events, [they] keep in contact with each other via email, sending each other quick missives several times a week.”
Will Cain be a Target in Tonight’s Debate?
First Read: “The debate, of course, comes just a day after Cain’s press conference in Arizona, where he defiantly denied the sexual-harassment charges against him… As far as how these allegations might play out in tonight’s debate, consider that all the candidates who aren’t Mitt Romney will probably treat Cain with kid gloves. Why? If Cain’s campaign collapses, they will all want his supporters. And if you go too hard, you risk alienating them. Bottom line: Attacking Cain tonight on this issue, if you are another GOP candidate, comes with more risk than reward.”
David Graham: “They could attack him directly; even the usually detached Romney edged that way Tuesday, saying the allegations against Cain were serious. But that might be unnecessary and counterproductive. Focusing on Cain’s circus rather than, say, high unemployment is bad for the Republican brand, so they may instead let him bleed slowly as they avert their eyes.”
Virginia Senate Hangs in Balance
The Election Administrator’s prayer was apparently not answered in Virginia.
The Washington Post reports Democrats’ hopes of maintaining their party’s hold on the state Senate are “very much in doubt” and hinging on a 86 vote lead in a single Senate district. A recount is likely.
Cain Accuser Filed Complaint in Next Job
Karen Kraushaar, who settled a sexual harassment complaint against Herman Cain in 1999, “complained three years later at her next job about unfair treatment, saying she should be allowed to work from home after a serious car accident and accusing a manager of circulating a sexually charged email,” the AP reports.
Obama Way Ahead in Ohio
A new Public Policy Polling survey in Ohio finds President Obama leading all of his Republican opponents by margins ranging from 9 to 17 points.
Obama leads Mitt Romney, 50% to 41%, tops Herman Cain, 50% to 39%, beats Newt Gingrich, 51% to 38% and crushes Rick Perry, 53% to 36%.
The same poll got the final result of the collective bargaining referendum correct to within one point.
Lessons from Election 2011
John Avlon: “In past recessions, populist anger was directed at either big business or big government. Now voter anger is directed at both, and the two parties are having a hard time adjusting their left/right playbooks to account for this shift. The anti-incumbent narrative likewise failed last night, as Kentucky Democrat Beshear was easily reelected. Instead, there seem to be a consistent impulse to reject ideological overreach, a reassuring sign of rational ticket-splitting even in this overheated political environment. Neither party should feel false confidence heading into 2012.”
First Read: “Voters punished elected officials for going too far. They might not be
happy with public-sector unions, but they don’t support taking away
their collective-bargaining rights (especially for first-responders).
They might be against abortion in Mississippi, but don’t want to
potentially outlaw things like birth control. They might be troubled by
illegal immigration, but they don’t want their elected officials to look
like they are targeting on specific community. They might believe
government should do something about health care, but they don’t want to
be forced to buy insurance. And they might be concerned about the idea
of voter fraud, but they don’t want to lose rights they had. Politicians
may be pushing absolutes, but voters are sending a different message.”
Quote of the Day
“It’s time to pause. The people have spoken clearly.”
— Ohio Gov. John Kasich (R), quoted by the New York Times, after voters rejected a law limiting collective bargaining rights.
Lawmakers Publicly Disavow Tax Pledge
While Grover Norquist’s group Americans for Tax Reform boasts that 238
current members of the House of Representatives have signed its Taxpayer
Protection Pledge, The Hill speaks on the record with numerous lawmakers who seem ready to have their names taken off the list.
“In
its publicly displayed list of signers ‘in the 112th Congress,’
Norquist’s group includes several members who say they have specifically
refused to sign the pledge during their most recent campaigns. The
sheet of paper they signed years ago, the lawmakers say, is no longer
valid… Some Republicans have disavowed the pledge not based on a
dispute over its duration, but because they say it constrains their
policy choices.”
Republicans Debate Tonight
Eight Republicans take the stage in Michigan tonight at 8 p.m. ET for their ninth presidential debate.
Politico: “When the GOP presidential candidates meet in Michigan Wednesday for a CNBC debate on the economy, they’ll no longer be looking to make a first impression. With less than two months to go before the Iowa caucuses, there’s a much more urgent objective: survival… With the exception of frontrunner Mitt Romney — and perhaps Ron Paul, the libertarian congressman whose devoted base of support never really diminishes or grows — nearly every candidate in the race is almost one misstep away from political death.”
The AP notes the field “will gather just outside Detroit, a city whose fortunes have fallen with the decline of the American auto industry.” Each of the candidates “say they wouldn’t have offered government loans to save two of the three U.S. auto giants. It’s a position that may play well in a GOP primary, where a conservative electorate and tea party backers are calling for less federal spending. But the stance could alienate independent voters – critical players in close general elections.”
Arizona Recalls Author of Immigration Law
Voters apparently recalled Arizona State Senate President Russell Pearce (R), the author of the state’s controversial immigration law, according to the Arizona Republic.
“If the vote totals hold, Pearce becomes the first sitting Senate president in the nation and the first Arizona legislator ever to lose a recall election. He would be required to step down immediately once the results become official.”
Pearce appeared resigned to defeat, saying “if being recalled is the price for keeping one’s promises, so be it.”
Texas Redistricting Map Goes to Trial
The Austin American-Statesman
reports that Texas will have to defend its redistricting plans in
court, as a “panel of federal judges…ordered a trial on the state’s
new redistricting plan for the state House, state Senate, and the U.S.
House of Representatives.”
“The redistricting maps drawn earlier this
year by the Legislature must get approval from the federal government –
in this case the Washington court – before the new maps can be enacted. A
history of racial and ethnic discrimination in Texas and several other
mostly southern states necessitates pre-clearance, which is outlined the
Voting Rights Act… Another panel of federal judges in San Antonio has
been hearing from the Mexican American Legislative Caucus and other
plaintiffs suing the state for creating redistricting maps that they say
dilute the minority vote and violate the U.S. Constitution. As the
Washington court ponders pre-clearance of the maps, the San Antonio
court has been working on creating interim maps to be used for the March
primaries.”