A new Reuters/Ipsos poll finds Americans “back last weekend’s nuclear deal with Iran by a 2-to-1 margin and are very wary of the United States resorting to military action against Tehran even if the historic diplomatic effort falls through.”
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Deeds Will Work to Improve Mental Health
Creigh Deeds (D), “recovering from multiple stab wounds and the death of his son, has served notice that he intends to push for change in a mental health system that doesn’t work for the people it’s supposed to help,” the Richmond Times Dispatch reports.
Said Deeds: “I am alive for a reason, and I will work for change. I owe that to my precious son.”
Obenshain Seeks Recount in Virginia
Mark Obenshain (R) “says he’s seeking a recount in the historically close race for Virginia attorney general,” the AP reports.
“A mere 165 votes separate Obenshain and Mark Herring (D), who has already declared himself the victor in the race. Both men have announced transition teams.”
Jindal Expands Staff
Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal’s (R) Washington, D.C., nonprofit, America Next, just doubled its staff, the Baton Rouge Advocate reports.
“The governor founded America Next in October to deliver solutions on
national issues such as health care, energy and education. Jindal said
he wants to develop detailed policies that go beyond 30-second ads and
bumper stickers.”
Obama Proposes Curbs on Tax-Exempt Groups in Elections
The Obama administration “proposed a crackdown on the widespread use of tax-exempt organizations for political campaigning, seeking to reduce the influential role that the secretive groups have played in recent elections,” the Wall Street Journal reports.
“The new ‘guidance’ issued by the Treasury Department and the Internal Revenue Service would curtail a broad array of these tax-exempt entities’ activities, including campaign advertising, voter registration, get-out-the-vote efforts, and distribution of voter guides and campaign materials. The process of completing the new regulations could take months, and officials said they expected a lot of feedback, acknowledging the political battles ahead.”
On Wonk Wire
Some great clicks over at Wonk Wire:
- Supreme Court Takes Up Obamacare Again
- Obama’s Next Broken Promise?
- Job Anxiety at Unprecedented Levels Among Low Income Americans
- Health Care’s Biggest Test Still to Come
- HealthCare.gov is the Case for Single-Payer
- Are We Splintering the U.S. Healthcare System?
- Banks Threaten to Charge Depositors if Fed Turns Rates Negative
Race for Illinois Governor a Toss Up
A new Public Policy Polling survey in Illinois finds Gov. Pat Quinn (D) “continues to be one of the most unpopular Governors in the country, but the Democratic lean of the state is enough to still make him neck and neck in hypothetical contests with the Republicans vying to take him on next fall.”
Key findings: “Only 34% of voters approve of the job Quinn is doing to 60% who disapprove… In match ups with his potential GOP foes Quinn leads Bruce Rauner (R) 41% to 38%, trails Dan Rutherford (R) 41% to 39%, and ties both Bill Brady (R) and Kirk Dillard (R) at 41% and 39% respectively.”
Stockman Doesn’t Explain His Income
Houston Chronicle: “Both as a candidate and as a congressman, Rep. Steve Stockman (R-TX)… has failed to make federally required disclosures about business affiliations that stretch from Texas to the British Virgin Islands, and has provided no details about the business he claims as his sole source of income.”
“Stockman returned to office in 2013 after 16 years away from Congress – crediting a low-budget, come-from-behind campaign to which he claimed to have lent more than $100,000 of his own money.”
Too Soon to Know if Obama Can Bounce Back
Charlie Cook: “Democrats and Obama-backers protest loudly when any comparisons are drawn between the debacle surrounding the launch and first impressions of the Affordable Care Act and President George W. Bush’s presidential nadir, Hurricane Katrina. Of course, there are big differences between the two presidential stumbles, but similarly, in each case, public confidence in that president was seriously eroded, and questions about the administrations’ core competence and honesty became highly prevalent.”
“How much resiliency Obama will have in the face of his current problems is obviously unknowable, and to a certain extent, will be dependent upon how fast the HealthCare.gov website is fixed and the extent to which other, more systemic problems are either resolved or addressed.”
Quote of the Day
“You want to prevent your race from being about Obamacare. If you enable your race to be about Obamacare, you’re making a mistake.”
— Democratic pollster Mark Mellman, quoted by National Journal.
Corbett Falls Further Behind
A new Public Policy Polling survey in Pennsylvania finds Gov. Tom Corbett’s (R) political situation has gone from bad to worse in the last eight months.
Key findings: “Corbett is now the most unpopular Governor anywhere in the country that we’ve polled, with only 24% of voters approving of him to 65% who disapprove. It’s gotten to the point where Corbett’s numbers are even upside down with Republicans, only 37% of whom approve of him with 51% disapproving.”
More bad news: “Corbett already trailed his potential Democratic opponents by 7 to 11 points in March but those deficits have increased to 12-20 points now.”
Democrats Worry Obamacare Will Cost Them the Senate
National Journal: “For Democrats, the politics of the health care law are creating a death spiral of their own. For the White House to protect its signature initiative, it needs to maintain a Democratic Senate majority past 2015. But to do so, Majority Leader Harry Reid needs to insulate vulnerable battleground-state Democrats, who are all too eager to propose their own fixes to the law that may be politically satisfying, but could undermine the fundamentals of the law.”
“Race-by-race polling conducted over the last month has painted a grim picture of the difficult environment Senate Democrats are facing next year.”
Wonk Wire: Supreme Court takes up Obamacare again.
Tea Party Survives GOP Civil War
Politico:
“The Republican civil war erupted into full view this fall, and the
establishment looked like it was about to shove the movement back in
line. But the early skirmishes ended with the tea party no weaker than
it was. And while the party’s internal fight will rage on, the opening
battles suggest the establishment is just starting to see how much it
will take to reclaim the power it has ceded to the movement in recent
years.”
GOP Senators Oppose Recess Appointments
Roll Call: “The
entire Senate Republican Conference on Monday filed a friend of the
court brief with the Supreme Court, continuing its effort to oppose
President Barack Obama’s disputed use of the recess appointment power.”
The Do (Almost) Nothing Congress
Carrie Dann:
“It’s not quite a ‘do nothing’ Congress – but it’s not far off. With
only a handful of remaining legislative days on their calendar, this
current Congress is on track to go down as one of the most unproductive
in modern history. The paltry number of bills Congress has passed into
law this year paints a vivid picture of just how bad the gridlock has
been for lawmakers, whose single-digit approval rating illustrates that
the public is hardly satisfied with their trickle of legislative
activity.”
Years of Dysfunction Ahead
Doug Sosnik: “The ballot box has traditionally been the place where Americans’ voices their discontent. But the political system has built-in safeguards through reapportionment and redistricting that will limit the vulnerability of most incumbent elected officials. These lines will not be redrawn until the beginning of the next decade, forestalling the massive desire for change that is building in our country.”
“This all suggests that the period of turmoil and dissatisfaction that we have been experiencing for the past 10 years could well continue through the end of this decade. However, underneath this turmoil you can see the shape of an emerging populist movement that will, in time, either move the politicians to action or throw them out of office. The country is moving toward new types of leaders, those who will be problem-solvers and build institutions that are capable of making a difference in people’s lives.”
Kerry Started Deal While Still in the Senate
Secretary of State John Kerry began back channel talks for an Iran nuclear deal with a secret trip to Oman before he was even confirmed for his job, the Boston Globe reports.
“The trip — aimed at ending Iran’s nuclear program — was undertaken with the blessing of the Obama administration. The overture proved to be the beginning of a relationship that Kerry has now relied on as secretary of state and that aides credit with helping the United States, Russia, France, Britain, Germany, and China reach the agreement with Iran. Oman has become a vital link in communication between the US and Iranian leaders.”
Congressional Vacation Halts Budget Negotiations
National Journal reports that “as congressional negotiators work to craft a budget agreement, they’re working against an old foe: the calendar.”
“Congress will soon likely be forced to consider yet another short-term, stopgap bill to fund the federal government, not because a budget deal can’t be reached, but because there isn’t time to reach one… The two chambers of Congress have scheduled just 10 days in session together between Nov. 22 and Jan. 15, out of a possible 51 days, not counting Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Day.”
