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Obama Adds New Advisor

December 10, 2013 at 7:45 am EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

With approval ratings flagging and his healthcare law at risk, President Obama is bringing on board John Podesta “who helped guide President Clinton through the darkest days of his presidency,” the Los Angeles Times reports.

“The Democratic veteran arrives as the president scrambles to fix the troubled start-up of the Affordable Care Act and to recover public support for his most important domestic achievement. Sources familiar with the decision said Obama Chief of Staff Denis McDonough asked Podesta to take on the role of guiding healthcare implementation as well as advising on other big domestic and foreign policy matters.”

First Read: “Given his chief-of-staff work during Clinton’s second term (especially
during impeachment), Podesta is very familiar with how a White House can
rack up executive accomplishments when facing a recalcitrant Congress.
He also knows how to work all the departments and agencies within the
executive branch, which has been a weak spot for this administration.”

Paul Thinks Son Will Run for President

December 10, 2013 at 7:43 am EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Former Rep. Ron Paul (R-TX) told CNN his son, Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY), will probably run for president in 2016.

Said Paul: “I think he probably will. I mean, he’s been on TV hinting that he very well might.”

Obama Still Viewed Poorly on Economy

December 10, 2013 at 7:37 am EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

A new New York Times/CBS News poll finds that last week’s “reports of hopeful economic indicators did nothing to improve the American public’s negative opinion of President Obama’s stewardship of the nation’s economy. However, while most Americans describe the economy as in bad condition, there has been a slight uptick in the number who view the nation’s fiscal circumstances positively.”

Key findings: “37% of those surveyed approve of Obama’s handling of the economy; 58% disapprove. These numbers are indistinguishable from the results of a CBS News poll taken last month, although better-than-expected unemployment numbers and other positive economic data were released last week.”

Iowa GOP Bans Officials from Taking Campaign Pay

December 10, 2013 at 7:07 am EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“Republican Party of Iowa board members will no longer be able to get paid for political campaign work, eliminating potential conflicts of interests,” the Des Moines Register reports.

“It’s important because Iowa plays an outsized role in winnowing the field of presidential candidates, party leaders say, and the integrity and reputation of the caucuses depend on the conviction that Iowans in positions of political power aren’t being paid to stack the deck for their candidate.”

Grayson Lost $18 Million in Investment Scheme

December 10, 2013 at 7:04 am EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Rep. Alan Grayson (D-FL) lost $18 million in a scheme that cheated him and about 120 other investors out of more than $35 million, the AP reports.

“The Virginia man who ran the scheme, William Dean Chapman, was sentenced Friday in federal court to 12 years in prison. Prosecutors say Chapman used the money to fund a lavish lifestyle including a Lamborghini, a Ferrari and a $3 million home.”

Mandela’s Party Faces Test

December 10, 2013 at 6:54 am EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

New York Times: “In the coming months, the African National Congress will face what may be its most fiercely competitive election since it came to power in 1994 — and, for the first time, will do so without its most important moral figure, Mr. Mandela.”

Pryor Trails in Arkansas

December 9, 2013 at 8:39 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

A new Inc./WomanTrend poll in Arkansas finds Rep. Tom Cotton (R-AR) leading Sen. Mark Pryor (D-AR) by seven points, 48% to 41%.

Key finding: 62% of those polled have an unfavorable view of the Affordable Care Act.

Stockman Will Challenge Cornyn in Primary

December 9, 2013 at 7:41 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Rep. Steve Stockman (R-TX) told WND that he will run against against Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) in the state’s Republcian primary race.

Stockman blamed the incumbent GOP senator for undermining Sen. Ted Cruz’s “fight to stop Obamacare.”

Said Stockman: “We are extremely disappointed in the way he treated his fellow congressmen and broke the 11th commandment and undermined Ted Cruz’s fight to stop Obamacare. And now, it looks like Cruz was right and Cornyn was wrong. He sided with the president, essentially, in making sure Obamacare became law while Cruz did everything possible to stop it.”

Obenshain May Ask Virginia Legislature to Intervene

December 9, 2013 at 7:26 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

The lawyer representing Mark Obenshain (R) in the pending statewide recount in the Virginia attorney general race on “for the first time openly raised the issue of contesting the election in the General Assembly if the tally does not sway the result in the Republican’s favor,” the Richmond Times Dispatch reports.

“If he loses the recount, Obenshain could ask a joint session of the General Assembly — which is dominated by Republicans — to reverse the results. Under state law, grounds for a contest include objections to ‘the conduct or results of the election accompanied by specific allegations which, if proven true, would have a probable impact on the outcome of the election.'”

Little Support for Iran Nuclear Deal

December 9, 2013 at 2:53 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

A new Pew Research/USA today survey finds that 43% of Americans disapprove of the agreement between the U.S. and Iran over its nuclear program, 32% approve of the deal, while 25% do not offer an opinion.

On Wonk Wire

December 9, 2013 at 2:10 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Some great clicks over at Wonk Wire:

Obama and Bush Share a Ride on Air Force One

December 9, 2013 at 12:13 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“There’s no telling what might happen now that Barack Obama and George W. Bush find themselves taking a long Air Force One flight from Washington to Johannesburg to attend the funeral of Nelson Mandela. But history suggests something will,” Time reports.

“When Harry Truman and Dwight Eisenhower shared a limo back from Arlington cemetery in November 1963, following the burial of John F. Kennedy, the two men, bitter enemies for more than a decade, finally found a way to set their animosity aside… The two men got to talking and all the years of difficulty and pain melted away as the hours ticked by and the cocktails were refilled.”

“Defenses came crashing down again in 1981, when Ronald Reagan sent Richard Nixon, Jerry Ford and Jimmy Carter to Cairo to attend the funeral of Anwar Sadat…The ride over on the old Boeing 707 was long, crowded and awkward. But on the way home, Nixon peeled away on a different trip and Carter and Ford dropped a half decade of resentment and realized they had more in common than either imagined. They both hated raising money, they both dreaded 25 years of unexpected retirement; they both disliked Reagan. It was the beginning of a beautiful relationship: over the next 25 years, Ford and Carter joined forces on two dozen projects.”

Will Obamacare Weigh Down Democrats?

December 9, 2013 at 11:30 am EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Jessica Taylor looks at seven races to watch for how Obamacare could impact the 2014 midterm elections.

“In 2010, Republicans rode a wave of frustration over the economy and
health-care overhaul, recapturing control of the House of
Representatives. This time around, they’re focused on keeping that
majority and looking toward gains in the Senate – and they’ll rely on
the bungled HealthCare.gov rollout to fuel voter support.”

How a School Shooting Wrecked Obama’s Second Term

December 9, 2013 at 10:33 am EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Alex Seitz-Wald says the Newtown school shootings last year derailed President Obama’s second term agenda.

“Suddenly, priority No. 1 wasn’t immigration reform but gun control. The base that had just elected Obama was clamoring for background checks and magazine-clip restrictions, threatening to desert the president before his second inauguration… That meant immigration would have to wait. The clock was ticking on both gun control and immigration, but Democrats moved ahead with gun control first, recognizing that as the memory of the tragedy at Sandy Hook faded, so too would the impetus for new laws. The Senate spent months on a bill, which eventually got whittled down to a universal background-check provision, before it finally died at the hands of a Republican filibuster in mid-April.”

“In the process, the administration fatally, and irrevocably, antagonized the populist libertarian Right, the same people whom mainstream Republicans and Democrats needed to stay on the sidelines for immigration reform to succeed. By engaging in such an emotional, polarizing issue so early on, Obama poisoned the (admittedly shallow) well of goodwill and the willingness to compromise by Republicans before his term even began in earnest.”

Scott’s Top Aide Lied About His Education

December 9, 2013 at 9:52 am EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

The Miami Herald caught Adam Hollingsworth, now Florida Gov. Rick Scott’s (R) chief of staff, lying about his academic credentials.

“Hollingsworth didn’t just verbally deceive people. He twice explicitly allowed his former employer, CSX Corporation, to issue press releases in 1998 and 2002 saying he graduated from the University of Alabama with a degree. Hollingsworth had no degree at the time. He earned one years later.”

Said Hollingsworth: “I am not proud of this and I deeply apologize for this misrepresentation. I have learned from this failure in judgment and know that, over the last several years, my life and character have and will continue to grow from this.”

Getting Primaried

December 9, 2013 at 9:50 am EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Here’s an interesting new book: Getting Primaried: The Changing Politics of Congressional Primary Challenges by Robert Boatright.

Will an Improving Economy Rescue Incumbents?

December 9, 2013 at 9:49 am EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

First Read calls an improving economy the sleeper issue for 2014.

“Consider that stronger attitudes about the economy and nation’s direction could raise the president’s job-approval rating five, six, or seven points. Democrats’ chances next year are much better if Obama’s approval is in the high 40s than the low 40s.”

“Then there are the vulnerable GOP governors in states like Florida (where the unemployment rate is 6.5%), Maine (6.7%), Ohio (7.5%), Pennsylvania (7.5%), and Wisconsin (6.5%). The unemployment rate dropping another full point in these states would represent quite the talking point for these governors. Ditto vulnerable Democratic governors in Colorado (6.8%), Connecticut (7.9%), and Illinois (8.9%).”

Bauer Fuels Indie Bid Speculation

December 9, 2013 at 9:39 am EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Former South Carolina Lt. Gov. Andre Bauer (R) is not ruling out a third-party run for governor next year, the Columbia State reports.

Said Bauer: “I’m hearing more and more people say they are fed up with the two-party system. And they have asked me about running.”

When asked if a third-party run would end up siphoning enough votes away from Gov. Nikki Haley (R) to give the race to Vincent Sheheen (D), Bauer shot back: “You don’t think a third-party candidate (can) win?”

First Read: “Bauer is a VERY flawed candidate, but we’re believers that his message (“people are fed up with the two-party system) is a potentially powerful one for folks in 2014. Just something to keep an eye on…”