“It’s just two weeks into 2014, but House Republicans are already convinced that the key to winning November’s elections is to talk about President Obama as much as possible,” Politico reports.

“In public and private discussions, Obama remains the single-minded obsession of all top House Republicans. They can’t get through a sentence without mentioning Obama or Obamacare. When top Republican leaders gathered last weekend at a boutique inn outside Washington for their annual planning retreat, the bulk of the conversation centered on Obamacare and presenting alternatives to what they consider Democrats’ failed economic policies.”

“Democrats are increasingly anxious about an onslaught of television ads hitting vulnerable Senate and House candidates for their support of the new health law, since many lack the resources to fight back in the early stages of the midterm campaign,” the New York Times reports.

“The unusually aggressive early run of television ads, which has been supplemented by other conservative initiatives, has gone largely unanswered, and strategists in both parties agree it is taking a toll on its targets.”

Sen. Kay Hagan (D-NC) is skipping President Obama’s visit to her home state, the Los Angeles Times reports.

“The notable absence at Obama’s first trip outside the Beltway in this election year highlights a perennial quandary for embattled candidates and less-than-popular presidents. With a battle for control of the Senate looming and the president’s approval rating deflated, Democrats and the White House will spend much of this year grappling with whether their most vulnerable candidates will be helped or harmed by a visit from Obama and how to keep those candidates some distance — but not too far — from the president.”

Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad (R) “is expected to kick off a historic, juggernaut campaign for re-election that many political analysts suspect will be a cakewalk, even though a majority of Iowans think the Republican has been in office long enough,” the Des Moines Register reports.

“Iowa Democrats’ inability to produce a big-name challenger, and Branstad’s high popularity and job approval ratings, mean the governor’s in a strong position, strategists say.”

David Jolly (R) has defeated two GOP rivals to win his party’s nomination in the race to replace the late Rep. C.W. Bill Young in Florida’s 13th District, Roll Call reports.

“Jolly will face former state Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink in the March 11 general election in this St. Petersburg-based district. This special election marks the first truly competitive special election of the cycle, and many political insiders view it as a bellwether for the cycle.”

Michael Crowley: “Clinton has demonstrated a well-documented willingness to use American military power overseas. Gates’ book is just the latest evidence, along with previous reporting and original interviews with current and former Obama officials, of the strikingly hawkish voice Clinton offered during Obama Situation Room debates…In fact, Clinton may have been the administration’s most reliable advocate for military action. On at least three crucial issues–Afghanistan, Libya, and the bin Laden raid–Clinton took a more aggressive line than Gates, a Bush-appointed Republican.”