The U.S. national debt has now officially surpassed $15 trillion.
“That’s Pathetic”
Rick Perry released a new ad to run nationally and in Iowa slamming President Obama’s recent comments that “we’ve been a little bit lazy I think over the last couple decades.”
For bonus points, see if you can spot the missing “is” in Perry’s statement.
CIA Won’t Give Ex-Agent Book He Wrote
Gawker reports that Anthony Shaffer “is suing the Pentagon and the CIA over their extraordinary attempts to censor Operation Dark Heart, the book he wrote recounting his days as a military spy in Afghanistan and elsewhere. One problem he’s run into: The government has the original unredacted manuscript he wrote. And it won’t give him a copy. Because it’s classified.”
But he can buy it on eBay.
When the Pentagon discovered the book contained sensitive information, it had already been printed and dozens of review copies sent out. So even though the government bought all 10,000 copies of the book directly from the publisher and destroyed them, there are still copies floating around.
Cabinet Raises Money for Reelection Campaign
Obama administration Cabinet members and senior aides “are fanning out across the country in an aggressive fundraising drive, taking advantage of porous campaign finance laws that allow them to appear as marquee speakers and raise substantial money for the president’s reelection effort,” the Los Angeles Times reports.
“For $5,000, a donor can get a kind of season pass to see officials when they come to town — a bargain compared with the $35,800 typically charged for dinner with President Obama… None of this is illegal, although the appearances must be carefully choreographed to avoid running afoul of the federal Hatch Act, which regulates political activity by government employees but allows ample wiggle room.”
Unhate
Italian clothing retailer Benetton launched a new print ad campaign with the tagline “Unhate” — featuring photos of world leaders kissing each other, reports Copyranter.
The unlikely (and photoshopped) pairings: Angela Merkel and Nicolas Sarkozy, Mahmoud Abbas and Bibi Netanyahu, Barack Obama and Hugo Chávez and Kim Jong-il and Lee Myung-bak.
What it Means to be a Democrat
Just published: What It Means to Be a Democrat by former Sen. George McGovern.
Iowa Governor Warns Romney
Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad (R) mocked Mitt Romney’s Iowa expectation-setting and warned him that he “would meet the same fate as Rudy Giuliani four years ago if he didn’t get serious about the caucuses,” Politico reports.
Said Branstad: “I think he’s making a big mistake…by not coming here and spending more time. I mean Romney is dropping in the polls and I think he thinks that he wants to keep down expectations, you know. Well, his expectations may get really bad if he doesn’t get a little more serious.”
He added: “Iowans don’t like being ignored, they don’t like being ignored!”
Nate Silver: “Romney certainly does not need to win Iowa to win the nomination. But
unless he builds up more of a cushion in the national polls before the
voting there, a loss for his campaign in the caucuses would at least
make for an exciting January.”
Why Obama Must Target Mobile Phone Users
A new SurveyUSA poll finds President Obama leading Mitt Romney nationally, 46% to 44%.
However, if the survey only includes landline respondents (72% of registered voters), Romney leads by 6 points. Among those who only use mobile phones (28% of registered voters), Obama leads by 22 points.
Bonus Quote of the Day
“I’m not supposed to know anything about foreign policy. Just thought I’d throw that out.”
— Herman Cain, quoted by the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, still reeling from his inability to answer a question about U.S. policy towards Libya.
GOP Freshman See Fundraising Fall
Two-thirds of the House Republican freshmen — 43 of 65 — saw their fundraising dip in the past quarter, USA Today reports.
“In addition, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee took in nearly twice as much campaign cash as House Republicans in September — a sign Democratic donors are energized, despite low poll rankings for Congress and President Obama.”
Voters Split on Congress
A new Public Policy Polling survey shows that just 37% of voters think that Republicans were an upgrade from when the Democrats controlled the House of Representatives, while 41% think they’ve been worse.
Nonetheless, the generic congressional ballot is a tie — with 45% favoring a Democratic candidate and 45% going for a Republican — because Democrats are almost as unpopular as their GOP counterparts.
Another Candidate Enters the Race
With the way the GOP presidential race is going, he just might win.
Cabinet Secretary Backs Gay Marriage
Housing and Urban Development Secretary Shaun Donovan told Metro Weekly that he ”absolutely” supports the legalization of same sex marriage in New York.
Said Donovan: ”It made me proud to be a New Yorker — not enough to get me to move back. We’ve got more work to do in the Obama administration in a second term.”
Asked if that included marriage equality, Donovan confirmed it did, saying, “Like marriage equality.”
Is the Gingrich Bubble Already Popping?
Joe Klein says news of Newt Gingrich’s ties to Freddie Mac threatens to halt his recent recent rise in the polls.
“You must understand: to Republican stalwarts, a relationship with Freddie Mac is the moral equivalent of satanism. Gingrich was a paid helper — and, believe me, he didn’t get paid $1.6 million to lecture the organization on the failures of government intervention in the market — in a ‘socialist’ effort to make home-buying easier for people who ordinarily wouldn’t be able to afford houses, an effort that famously went off the rails when the government began supporting sub-prime and other highly questionable mortgages.”
“In other words, Gingrich was supporting — the best guess was that Gingrich was hired to win some Republican support for Freddie — the very sort of program that he routinely excoriates. This sort of hypocrisy is astounding but, sadly, not unknown to Newt. After all, this was the guy who led the Republican Impeachment of Bill Clinton while having an extra-marital affair of his own.”
Quote of the Day
“Hang him from the highest tree. I’ll bring the rope.”
— Sarah Palin, quoted by USA Today, on former Penn State assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky, who has been accused of sexually assaulting children.
Gingrich’s Hiatus Would Make Presidential History
Smart Politics finds that if Newt Gingrich were to win the presidency in 2012, his 13+ year hiatus from political office at the time of his inauguration would be the largest among all presidents who previously held political office.
Republican Gaffes Pile Up
Michael Shear notes that despite a steady stream of “gaffes, misstatements, puzzled looks and long, awkward pauses” the Republican presidential candidates “have turned the cringe-inducing moments to their advantage, asserting that they demonstrate an authenticity different from the slick professionalism of politicians in Washington.”
“But the embarrassing moments are piling up, and some veteran Republicans are beginning to wonder whether the cumulative effect weakens the party brand, especially in foreign policy and national security, where Republicans have typically dominated Democrats.”
Notes former Reagan chief of staff Ken Duberstein: “It is an Animal House. It’s a food fight. Honestly, the Republican debates have become a reality show. People have to be perceived as being capable of governing this country, of being the leader of the free world.”
White House Braces for Supercommittee Failure
Obama administration officials “are quietly bracing for supercommittee failure, with advisers privately saying they are pessimistic that the 12-member Congressional panel will find a way to cut $1.2 trillion from the deficit as required,” the Washington Post reports.
“Perhaps mindful of the long odds of success, Obama has largely left the negotiations alone, after issuing his blueprint in September for more than $3 trillion in savings… At the same time, several Democrats said, any greater involvement by Obama at this stage could have a toxic effect as Democrats and Republicans try to find middle ground. If the president were more deeply engaged, it could force Republicans into a reactionary role.”
A new CNN/Opinion Research survey shows 78% of Americans think it is “somewhat or very unlikely” the committee will develop a plan to significantly reduce the federal budget deficit by the November 23 deadline.
