In the mail: The Victory Lab by Sasha Issenberg.
This is a book I’ve been looking forward to reading.
Firsthand Account of Mission to Kill Osama bin Laden
Out next month: No Easy Day: The Firsthand Account of the Mission That Killed Osama Bin Laden by Mark Owen.
The book was written by a former Navy SEAL who helped plan and execute the raid that killed Osama bin Laden.
Fox News says the book is penned under the pseudonym “Mark Owen,” but multiple sources identify him as Matt Bissonnette, 36, of Wrangell, Alaska.
Cruz Defeats Dewhurst in Texas
Ted Cruz (R) defeated Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst (R) in the Republican U.S. Senate runoff, the AP reports.
“The Texas contest has become a national emblem of the GOP’s internal
tug-of-war between the establishment and the tea party and already is
the most expensive non-presidential race in the country, according to
the Center for Responsive Politics. Outside groups spent $14.4 million
in the race on top of the $32 million that the candidates spent,
including the $19 million that Dewhurst lent to his campaign.”
Dallas Morning News: “Wow, this is going to send some shockwaves through the GOP — in Texas and across the country.”
Return of the Bush-Era
A new Obama ad makes clear that Mitt Romney would return the policies of George W. Bush: “You watched… and worried. Two wars. Tax cuts for millionaires. Debt piled up. And now we face a choice.”
The ad will run in Colorado, Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada, Ohio, and Florida.
Tennessee Lawmaker Says Obama May Stage Fake Assasination
Tennessee state Rep. Kelly Keisling (R) emailed constituents “with a rumor circulating in conservative circles that President Barack Obama is planning to stage a fake assassination attempt in an effort to stop the 2012 election from happening,” the Huffington Post reports.
Keisling “sent an email from his state email account to constituents containing a rumor that Obama and the Department of Homeland Security are planning a series of events that could lead to the imposition of ‘martial law’ and delay the election. Among the events hypothesized in the email is a staged assassination attempt on the president that would lead to civil unrest in urban areas and martial law.”
Davis Resigns from Congress
Rep. Geoff Davis (R-KY) announced that he is resigning from his seat immediately, the Louisville Courier-Journal reports.
In December, Davis had announced that he would not be seeking re-election but said today a “family health issue has developed that will demand significantly more of my time to assist. As a result, I cannot continue to effectively fulfill my obligations to both my office and my family. Family must and will come first.”
Reid Claims Romney Paid No Taxes for 10 Years
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) told the Huffington Post that a Bain Capital investor told him that Mitt Romney didn’t pay any taxes for at least a decade.
The person also told Reid that Romney’s wealth was significantly more than the $250 million estimated.
“Tellingly, neither Reid nor his office would reveal who the investor was, making it impossible to verify if the accusation is true. And as his quote makes clear, he’s uncertain if the information is accurate… But there is limited political downside to the type of open speculation that Reid is making, so long as Romney refuses to budge on the issue of his tax returns. Increasingly, other Democrats are growing more assertive in their goading.”
Romney Planning Veep Rollout Tour?
Mitt Romney’s campaign “is quietly laying the groundwork for a high-profile blitz of several key battleground states in the run-up to the Republican National Convention in Tampa, and Republicans briefed on the plans say it has all the trappings of a vice presidential rollout tour,” CNN reports.
Hickenlooper and Wife Separate
The Denver Post reports that Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper (D) and his wife, Helen Thorpe, announced they are separating after 10 years of marriage, but plan to remain a family that spends a “great deal of time together.”
From a statement: “Both the Governor and Ms. Thorpe want the public to know that neither has had an affair, that they did seek extended counseling, and that this decision is unrelated to the difficult events Colorado has faced this summer.”
McMahon, Murphy Lead in Connecticut
A new Public Policy Polling survey in Connecticut finds Linda McMahon (R) crushing former Rep. Chris Shays (R) in the GOP Senate primary by a stunning 48 points, 68% to 20%.
The Democratic contest is closer but Rep. Chris Murphy (D) is still a clear favorite there, leading Susan Bysiewicz (D) by 17 points at 49% to 32%.
Picture of Romney Sends Man Into Rage
Lowell Turpin “suspected his live-in girlfriend of planning an affair, and when he saw a picture of a man he didn’t recognize on her Facebook page, it set him off,” the Knoxville News-Sentinel reports.
He “jerked her laptop computer from her grasp, smashed the machine into a wall, and then hit her in the face with his fist.”
The man on the computer screen: Mitt Romney.
Extra Bonus Quote of the Day
“They took out all that brain matter yet I still didn’t become a
Democrat.”
— Congressional candidate Dan Halloran (R), quoted by the Politicker, describing his surgery earlier this year to remove a brain tumor.
Romney Made Same Argument About Palestinians in Book
Mitt Romney, under fire for suggesting that culture explains the economic disparities between Israelis and Palestinians, blamed the media for mischaracterizing his remarks and insisted that he hadn’t actually criticized Palestinian culture.
But Greg Sargent points out that in his 2010 book, No Apology, Romney made “almost precisely the same point about Israelis and Palestinians, even using the same language: ‘culture makes all the difference.'”
Candidate Quits After Reports of Dead Companion Still Voting
John Enright (R), a candidate for Pinal County supervisor candidate, “has withdrawn from the race in the wake of voter-fraud allegations involving a former companion who, records show, has continued to vote by absentee ballot in the five years since her death,” the Arizona Republic reports.
The woman, Sheila Nassar — whom Enright described as his “life companion” — lived with Enright at the time of her death.
Florida Looks Like a Toss Up
A new Public Policy Polling survey in Florida finds President Obama edging Mitt Romney in the key battleground state among likely voters, 48% to 47%.
However, Romney would gain an edge if he picked Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) as his running mate.
“Regardless of who Romney picks it looks like Florida is once again a sheer toss up, and there’s not much reason to think that will change between now and November.”
“I Wish They’d Let Me Vote Against Him Twice.”
Rep. Shelley Berkley (D-NV) has a catchy new radio ad in her challenge to Sen. Dean Heller (R-NV) criticizing him for voting twice — once in the House and again in the Senate — to privatize Medicare.
A Guide to Mitt Romney’s Tax Breaks
Businessweek has a slide show.
GOP Lawmaker Says His Party is Too Extreme
Rep. Richard Hanna (R-NY) blasted the Republican Party in an interview with the Syracuse Post-Standard, saying his party is “too willing to accommodate its most extreme members.”
Said Hanna: “I have to say that I’m frustrated by how much we — I mean the Republican Party — are willing to give deferential treatment to our extremes in this moment in history.”
He added: “We render ourselves incapable of governing when all we do is take severe sides… If all people do is go down there and join a team, and the team is invested in winning and you have something that looks very similar to the shirts and the skins, there’s not a lot of value there.”
