A new Pew Research poll finds that just 49% of the public says President Obama is “able to get things done,” down from 57% in January and closer to his levels of confidence in 2012. But the vast majority of Americans, 67%, believe Obama is fighting hard for his policies, a quality that has been questioned in the wake of legislative setbacks.
White House Reaches Out to Ryan on Budget
Michael Scherer reports on a secret meeting between White House chief of staff Denis McDonough and Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI).
“The nighttime beer with Ryan created no breakthroughs, but the two men informally talked about the possibility of a bargain later this year that could bring down the deficit. It was never meant to be a negotiating session, though. And as it wound down, Ryan felt obliged to warn his new acquaintance not to take it personally the following day, when he would appear on television again…. Ryan would say later that it was the first time anyone from the Obama Administration had reached out for a substantive conversation.”
GOP Gets Creative in Blocking Obama Agenda
Republican resistance to President Obama’s second-term plans “intensified another couple of notches today,” David Hawkings reports.
House Speaker John Boehner and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell “announced they would simply ignore a provision in the health care overhaul calling on each to pick someone for a new panel with the power to dictate Medicare spending reductions without fear of congressional reversal.”
“At the same time, all eight Republicans boycotted this morning’s meeting of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, which under a wrinkle in the rules prevented the panel from advancing Gina McCarthy’s nomination to run the EPA.”
The Limits of Presidential Leadership
Norm Ornstein:
“At nearly every speech I give, someone asks about President Obama’s
failure to lead. Of course, that question has been driven largely by the
media, perhaps most by Bob Woodward. When Woodward speaks, Washington
listens, and he has pushed the idea that Obama has failed in his
fundamental leadership task–not building relationships with key
congressional leaders the way Bill Clinton did, and not ‘working his
will’ the way LBJ or Ronald Reagan did. Now, after the failure to get
the background-check bill through the Senate, other reporters and
columnists have picked up on the same theme, and I have
grown increasingly frustrated with how the mythology of leadership has
been spread in recent weeks. I have yelled at the television
set, ‘Didn’t any of you ever read Richard Neustadt’s classic
Presidential Leadership? Haven’t any of you taken Politics 101 and read
about the limits of presidential power in a separation-of-powers
system?’ But the issue goes beyond that, to a willful ignorance of
history.”
GOP Turns Focus to Hillary
First Read: “Wednesday’s congressional hearing probing last year’s attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi revealed this political development: Key parts of the conservative movement are turning their attention from President Obama to former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.”
“Yet as Democrats prepare for Hillary’spossible political comeback, so
are Republicans and conservatives. Consequently, the GOP’s shift in
focus shouldn’t be surprising, especially with 2016 on the horizon. But
what’s striking is how sudden the transition seemed yesterday. Also
striking is that it comes at a time when Clinton is enjoying her highest
polling numbers, even among Republicans.”
It’s Still Early for Recruiting Senate Candidates
Roll Call: “Despite the numerous holes on the Senate race recruitment map, a
look back at last cycle offers some context for how far there still is
to go until the 2014 primaries… history shows it’s too early to declare recruitment failures for either party.”
Murder at City Hall
What if a Mayor seeking re-election was accused of . . . murder?
Find out in Murder at City Hall — the new political thriller about a new Mayor, a randy mistress, a dogged detective and a sleazy tabloid reporter. Available now at Kindle, Nook, iTunes and other fine online bookstores.
For details, visit www.philentz.com.
Graham Faces Down Primary Challenge
“If any Senate Republican up for re-election next year would seem ripe for a primary defeat it’s Lindsey Graham,” Politico reports.
“Yet a year out from his primary, Graham is in surprisingly good shape. He had over $5.4 million in the bank at the end of March, second only to Senate GOP Leader Mitch McConnell among senators up in 2014, and his approval ratings remain solid if not spectacular. What’s more, the intensity on immigration has receded here and a set of issues has arisen that have benefited the incumbent.”
Are Republicans Ready for Another Debt Showdown?
“The federal debt limit is set to kick back into effect next weekend after a three-month hiatus, marking the start of a political game of chicken likely to culminate in the fall, when Congress will have to give President Obama a higher limit or risk a federal default. Which raises the perennial question: How far are congressional Republicans willing to push this?,” the Washington Post asks.
“Many Democrats predict Republicans will fold like a cheap suit as the deadline approaches, eager to avoid the disaster of 2011, when the last debt-limit showdown sent congressional approval ratings plummeting into single digits.”
Markey Has the Edge in Massachusetts Senate Race
A new WBUR poll in Massachusetts shows Rep. Edward Markey (D) leading Gabriel Gomez (R) in the U.S. Senate race, 41% to 35%. Markey’s lead expands to eight points, 46% to 38%, when undecided voters leaning toward one candidate or the other are included.
Said pollster Steve Koczela: Either way you look at it — with leaners or without leaners — you’ve
got a race within single digits coming out of the primary. You’ve got a competitive race.”
Markey’s lead is significantly less than a Suffolk poll showed last night.
The Underachievers
The Crystal Ball finds 60 Democrats and 63 Republicans in Congress who could be vulnerable in a primary or general election because they underperformed their party’s presidential nominee in the 2012 elections.
Crist Backs Gay Marriage
Potential Florida gubernatorial candidate Charlie Crist (D) “is taking some heat for having backed a Florida gay marriage ban during his 2006 Republican primary for governor” but he reversed himself last night in a Facebook post, the Tampa Bay Times reports.
Obama Brushes Off Perry’s Letter
“When the doors opened on Air Force One, the president was greeted by the stifling Texas heat, and a handshake from one of his biggest critics, Gov. Rick Perry, who had hoped to deliver a four-page letter pleading for more help from the feds on border security,” KVUE-TV reports.
But Obama “waved the governor’s letter off to one of his top aides, Valerie Jarrett.”
Said Perry: “I was surprised that we couldn’t find a time while he was in town to sit down and speak a little bit longer.”
Gomez Took Questionable Tax Concession on Home
Massachusetts U.S. Senate candidate Gabrie Gomez (R) “claimed a $281,500 income tax deduction in 2005 for pledging not to make any visible changes to the facade of his 112-year-old Cohasset home, a concession so valuable that it is classified as a charitable contribution under a federal law designed to protect historic homes,” the Boston Globe reports.
“But Gomez and his wife, Sarah, were already barred from making any changes to the exterior of their home under the bylaws of the local Historical Commission, raising the question as to whether their donation — the price of which is based on the loss of value in their real estate — had any monetary worth.”
Markey Holds Wide Lead for Senate
A new Suffolk University poll in Massachusetts finds Rep. Edward Markey (D) leading Gabriel Gomez (R) by 17 points in the race for U.S. Senate, 52% to 35%.
Said pollster David Paleologos: “I’m not saying the race won’t be close or it won’t get closer, or that Markey or somebody won’t gaffe. But in terms of the starting point, this isn’t a handful-of-points race.”
Why Republicans are in Trouble
Pew Research finds that Mitt Romney received just 17% of the non-white vote in last year’s presidential election.
“Non-whites were 26.3% of all voters in the 2012 election, a record high share. But they compose an even higher share of all U.S. adults age 18 and older — 33.9%. By 2020 this share will rise to 37.2%, and by 2060 it will be 54.8%, according to Census Bureau projections. If the racial voting patterns from the 2012 election persist, the electoral playing field for future Republican presidential candidates will become increasingly difficult.”
Sanford Settles Trespassing Dispute with Ex-Wife
Rep.-elect Mark Sanford (R-SC) and his ex-wife, Jenny, “settled a complaint she brought alleging Sanford has repeatedly violated their divorce agreement by entering her home without her permission,” the AP reports.
“As part of Wednesday’s deal, he admits he violated the agreement on Feb. 3 and on other occasions. Under the consent order signed by both parties, a family court judge will withhold sentencing as long as Sanford abides by the provisions of their 2010 divorce decree that says neither party may enter the other’s home without permission.”
“Sanford also agreed to pay his ex-wife $5,000 in fees and court costs.”
Reid Refuses to See Domenici
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) told the Las Vegas Review Journal that he refused to see former Sen. Pete Domenici (R-NM) last week, given his admission that he secretly fathered a child during an extramarital affair decades ago.
Said Reid: “I don’t mention Domenici’s name anymore because of what he did to Michelle Laxalt. I wouldn’t let him come and see me. But anyway, that’s another story.”
