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Majority Think Oswald Did Not Act Alone

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As the 50th anniversary of President John F. Kennedy’s assassination approaches, a new Gallup poll finds that 61% of Americans still believe others besides Lee Harvey Oswald were involved.

The Monkey Cage: “Why are Kennedy assassination conspiracy theories so popular? The distinguishing feature of a successful conspiracy theory is power, and the Kennedy assassination has that in spades. The victim was an American president and the potential villains include actors of immense reach and influence.”

Conversation with Gov. Howard Dean

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Gov. Howard Dean was our guest on the latest episode of the Political Wire podcast.

It’s a fascinating interview with the former DNC Chairman on the political problems facing Democrats and the White House over the implementation of Obamacare.

Listen here:

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This episode was sponsored by Igloo Software, an intranet you’ll actually like.


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Nelson Mulling Bid for Florida Governor

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Democrats close to Sen. Bill Nelson (D-FL) are letting potential supporters know the three-term senator is “waiting in the wings” if Charlie Crist’s (D) campaign for Florida governor stumbles, the News Service of Florida reports.

“Nelson’s chief of staff, Pete Mitchell, called some prominent Democrats recently and told them the 71-year-old Nelson, who has been coy about his interest in the governor’s race, is considering a bid.”

November 30 Deadline Looms

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First Read notes “the true test if things ultimately get better for the White House is whether or not it meets its self-imposed Nov. 30 date to fix the website for a majority of Americans.”

“A better-functioning website cures a lot of problems — enrollment numbers will go up, those with canceled plans might be able to find better deals, the negative feedback loop might come to an end. But not meeting that deadline could be disastrous. After all, if you think Democrats are skittish now, just think how they’ll be if the website isn’t significantly improved by Nov. 30.”

Obama Plays Defense

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Dan Balz:
“Throughout his career as a national politician, President Obama often
has benefited from comparisons with others. Nearing the end of the first
year of his second term, he is running mostly against himself — and
falling short. The disastrous rollout of his health-care law has put him
on the spot in ways he has rarely been before. The cool and cerebral
chief executive, whose reliance on smart people and rational analysis
has been at the foundation of his often-insulated governing style, has
been forced to admit that he and his team vastly underestimated the
challenge of implementing the Affordable Care Act.”

USA Today:
“Whether it’s Richard Nixon over Watergate, Bill Clinton over Monica
Lewinsky, or President Obama over the problems with his health care
rollout, presidents have often apologized — or at least expressed regret
or taken responsibility for something gone publicly wrong.”

Voters Don’t Want Anyone to Win

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Charlie Cook: “One Democratic pollster recently (and aptly) summed up the sentiment: ‘Voters want to punish Republicans but not reward Democrats.’ This dynamic suggests we are in for either a highly muddled election outcome next year–hardly the stuff for a wave, because one party has to be rewarded and looked favorably upon to create a wave–or a highly volatile environment, what a meteorologist might describe as an ‘unstable air mass.’ The latter dynamic could translate into a lot of surprise election outcomes, but not necessarily in any uniform direction.”

Joshua Green: “Americans are fast losing faith in the president, his party, and his
signature policy achievement. But while they’re open to the idea of
handing power to the opposition, Republicans are busy demonstrating that
they have no idea how to govern.”

TARP Chief Explores Bid for California Governor

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Neel Kashkari (R), the former assistant Treasury secretary who oversaw the TARP bank bailout in the Bush administration, is mulling a bid against California Gov. Jerry Brown (D) in what would be his first political campaign, the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

“Kashkari — who is pro-choice, favors same-sex marriage rights and voted for Barack Obama in 2008 — is talking like a candidate on a mission to rebrand a California Republican Party that is tired of losing.”

Obamacare Could Haunt Democrats for Years

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President Obama’s health care law “is now compounding a political problem it was meant to solve: the generation-long loss of faith in government activism, particularly among the white middle class,” Ron Brownstein reports.

“For decades, Democratic strategists have viewed universal health care as their best opportunity to reverse the doubt among many voters, especially whites, that government programs can tangibly benefit their families. Now the catastrophic rollout of the health law threatens instead to reinforce those doubts. That outcome could threaten Democratic priorities for years.”

Wonk Wire: An epic policy stumble.

Health Care Vote Tests Loyalty of Democrats

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“The political fallout from the botched launch of the health-care law is presenting congressional Democrats with one of their toughest tests of party loyalty in the five years of the Obama administration,” the Washington Post reports.

“House Republicans are expected to pass a bill Friday that could dramatically undermine the law. And after years of trying to impale the initiative, GOP leaders are hopeful that the political turmoil over the rollout will provide them the support of a sizable bloc of Democrats.”

The Hill:
“The vote puts Democratic leaders in a pickle, caught between
the desire to maintain party unity and the propensity to allow
threatened rank-and-file members to vote their districts with
re-election in mind.”

First Read: “The question is how many Democrats vote for the legislation… Twenty or 30 red-state Dems voting for
it is one thing; but double or triple that amount would be a rebuke and
would signal that House Dems weren’t satisfied with the supposed fix
Obama announced.”

Quote of the Day

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“If I had the problem, saying you’re sorry doesn’t help me worth a damn at the polls, unless I can staple your remarks to the ballot.”

— Rep. Charles Rangel (D-NY), quoted by the New York Daily News, on the bungled health care law roll out.

Obamacare Stumbles Compared to Bush’s Hurricane Response

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Barack Obama “won the presidency by exploiting a political environment that devoured George W. Bush in a second term plagued by sinking credibility, failed legislative battles, fractured world relations and revolts inside his own party,” the New York Times reports.

“President Obama is now threatened by a similar toxic mix. The disastrous rollout of his health care law not only threatens the rest of his agenda but also raises questions about his competence in the same way that the Bush administration’s botched response to Hurricane Katrina undermined any semblance of Republican efficiency.”

Politico: “It’s hard to know right now where the Obamacare mess falls on the presidential calamity scale.”

Smooth Sailing for Yellen at Senate Hearing

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Janet Yellen “breezed through questions about the financial crisis, the Fed’s stimulus efforts and banking regulation, as the Senate Banking Committee weighed her nomination to serve as future head of the Federal Reserve,” CNN Money reports.

Daily Beast: “The Senate remains a remarkably politicized place. Tea Party rogues like Ted Cruz of Texas and Mike Lee of Utah are gumming up the works. Republicans are filibustering Obama judicial nominees. And a grand bargain on taxes and spending remains elusive as ever. But at the Yellen hearing, the members of the Senate Banking Committee signaled that they essentially accept the status quo.”

Wonk Wire: The good news and bad news for Janet Yellen.

Wisconsin Moves to Limit Recalls

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The Wisconsin state Assembly “kicked off a raucous, likely late-night session Thursday by approving the first of two proposals limiting the ability of voters to recall elected officials — measures Republicans are advancing because of a wave of attempts to recall Gov. Scott Walker and state senators in 2011 and 2012,” the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.

“The twin proposals — one a change to state law, the other an amendment to the state constitution — would limit recalls to those who have been charged with crimes or ethics violations.”

About Political Wire

goddard-bw-snapshotTaegan Goddard is the founder of Political Wire, one of the earliest and most influential political web sites. He also runs Political Job Hunt, Electoral Vote Map and the Political Dictionary.

Goddard spent more than a decade as managing director and chief operating officer of a prominent investment firm in New York City. Previously, he was a policy adviser to a U.S. Senator and Governor.

Goddard is also co-author of You Won - Now What? (Scribner, 1998), a political management book hailed by prominent journalists and politicians from both parties. In addition, Goddard's essays on politics and public policy have appeared in dozens of newspapers across the country.

Goddard earned degrees from Vassar College and Harvard University. He lives in New York with his wife and three sons.

Goddard is the owner of Goddard Media LLC.

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