Washington Post: “A longtime adviser to Hillary Clinton personally sought and secured the funding for what prosecutors say was an illegal shadow operation to boost Clinton’s 2008 presidential bid, according to court papers released as part of a wide-ranging campaign finance investigation.”
‘Ready for Hillary’ Gets Ready
Mark Halperin: “There is now talk among Ready officials about finishing 2014 with 5 million supporters and 2 million active volunteers, numbers that would likely dwarf the assets of all the GOP wannabes combined. If realized, that would be substantially more than the piddling grassroots effort that Clinton mounted against Obama six years ago.”
“The other boost for Ready for Hillary has come from Obama’s political machine. Inside Obama world, the battle scars of the 2008 nomination fight have faded, and there is widespread excitement about a Clinton candidacy; her service in the Administration has made her the clear, if unofficial, legatee.”
GOP Set To Take Advantage of Obama Struggles
Despite one new poll showing President Obama’s approval bouncing back, a new Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll finds his approval rating has dropped to a low point of 41%.
Key findings: By a 33% to 24% margin, Americans say their midterm election vote will be to signal opposition to the president rather than to signal support, though 41% say their vote will have nothing to do about Obama. In addition, 48% of voters say they’re less likely to vote for a candidate who’s a solid supporter of the Obama administration, versus 26% who say they’re more likely to vote for that candidate.
Meanwhile, Republicans hold a one-point edge over Democrats on which party registered voters prefer to control Congress, 44% to 43%,
Jolly Defeats Sink in Special Election
David Jolly (R) beat Alex Sink (D) in the “closely-watched, extremely expensive and relentlessly negative battle for Florida’s 13th Congressional District, signaling trouble for Democrats as they head into the midterm elections and face the weight of Obamacare,” the Tampa Bay Times reports.
“It was a deflating moment for Democrats, who were already facing a
tough November and saw in Sink a buffer from the health care attacks.
And it was a crushing blow to Sink, the former state CFO who narrowly
lost her 2010 race for governor to political rookie millionaire Rick
Scott.”
Obama Approval Bounces Back
A new Bloomberg Poll finds President Obama “is rebounding from record-low approval ratings as he remedies the botched rollout of his health-care website and moves past the budget standoffs of the last several years.”
“Less than eight months before the November midterm elections, Americans are evenly split, with 48% approving of Obama’s job performance, up from 42% in December — the biggest positive change of his presidency… He’s also registering an improved favorability rating at 49%, the highest since last June.”
Christie Approval Now Upside Down
A new Fairleigh Dickinson PublicMind poll finds New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie’s (R) popularity at an all-time low after dropping 20 percentage points since November.
“What’s more, 41% of voters surveyed said they approved of Christie’s job performance and 44% disapproved — the first time the poll has shown results to be more critical than supportive of the Republican governor since he took office in January 2010.”
Democrats Take Lead in Generic Ballot
A new Public Policy Polling survey finds Democrats have reclaimed the lead on the generic Congressional ballot, 43% to 40%, after trailing by two points in January. Democrats have poor approval ratings at 35% to 56%, but they’re better than Republicans at 23% to 67%.
Also interesting: “One key difference is that Democrats are at least happy with their own party in Congress, giving it a 66/21 approval, while Republicans give their own a negative assessment at 43/48.”
Feinstein Says CIA Spied on Senate Intelligence Committee
Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) “torched the Central Intelligence Agency in a floor speech Tuesday morning, charging the agency with spying on her committee’s computers in a possibly illegal search that has been referred to the Department of Justice for possible prosecution,” Roll Call reports.
During her speech, Feinstein “said she learned in January that the Central Intelligence Agency improperly searched committee computer files, confirming several media reports. She said the incident has been referred to the Department of Justice for possible prosecution. But Feinstein was also riled by a separate referral by the CIA to the Department of Justice suggesting that the committee staff had improperly received classified information.”
Do Candidates Matter?
First Read notes that tonight’s special congressional election in Florida between Alex Sink (D) and David Jolly (R) can help us answer this question: “What’s the more powerful force right now — an individual campaign or the overall political environment?”
“Sink has a lot of the intangibles on her side. She has more money, a higher name ID (after running for governor in 2010), an opponent whose previous job was a lobbyist (about as despised of a political occupation as you can have), and a third-party candidate (Lucas Overby) who would probably take more votes away from the Republicans. So a Sink win would be a blueprint for survival for skittish Democrats: If you run a superior race, hold most of the intangibles, and take the health-care issue head on, you can survive.”
“On the flip side, a Sink loss and Jolly win will rattle a lot of Democrats, because it would prove that the environment — including a more GOP-leaning electorate — trumps everything else. If a B-minus candidate running a C+ campaign who happens to be a lobbyist can beat someone who has more of the intangibles on her side, then that is going to scare the Mark Udalls, Jeanne Shaheens, and Jeff Merkleys running for re-election in blue/purple states in November.”
Bonus Quote of the Day
“There is a bogus poll out there. I can sense the people of my state. When I travel around, which I do constantly, they like me, and I am very grateful.”
— Sen. John McCain (R-AZ), quoted by The Hill, disputing a poll that showed him with a 30% approval rate in Arizona.
On Wonk Wire
Some great clicks over at Wonk Wire:
Quote of the Day
“I think the thing that is getting a little tiresome, the gay community, they have so bullied the American people, and they’ve so intimidated politicians. The politicians fear them, so that they think they get to dictate the agenda everywhere.”
— Rep. Michelle Bachmann (R-MN), quoted by the Huffington Post.
Reid Moves to Block Potential 2016 Foe
Sen. Harry Reid (D-NV) “is putting the strength of his formidable political machine behind a Democratic candidate for lieutenant governor whose fate could have major implications for Reid’s own three-decade congressional career. The race is rapidly becoming a proxy war between Reid and popular Gov. Brian Sandoval (R), who is viewed by both parties as the toughest potential challenger to Reid in 2016,” Politico reports.
“If a Democrat were to win the lieutenant governor’s race, it’s widely believed that Sandoval wouldn’t challenge Reid, since it would mean turning over the governorship to a Democrat if Sandoval won. But that calculation changes if a Republican captures the lieutenant governor’s seat in November.”
GOP Now Trying to Fix Obamacare Instead of Repeal
Politico: “House Republican leaders are planning to bring up three changes to Obamacare next week — but unlike dozens of prior bills, these are more minor measures that are not expected to be controversial. All three bills essentially fix drafting errors, perceived oversights or unintended consequences in the president’s Affordable Care Act. They have bipartisan support and are scheduled to be considered under a suspension of the rules, which limits debate and requires support from two-thirds of House members — a signal that leaders of both parties do not expect any heated debate.”
Obama Tries to Reach Young People in New Ways
President Obama will appear on “Between Two Ferns,” an off-color online parody of celebrity interview shows with the comedian Zach Galifianakis, the New York Times reports.
The pop-culture appearance “is the latest public relations gamble that Mr. Obama and his aides have taken in their pursuit of new ways to deliver their message to the connected-but-distracted generation… Aides said Mr. Obama’s immediate reason for subjecting himself to Mr. Galifianakis is to urge young people to sign up for health insurance on the government’s website, healthcare.gov. As a March 31 deadline for enrolling for 2014 approaches, the White House is making one final push to try to increase the numbers.”
Expensive Special Election Comes to an End
“All the attack ads and campaigning end today, as voters in Pinellas County’s nationally watched political battle send a new representative to Congress,” the Tampa Bay Times reports.
“An unprecedented $12 million has poured into the hotly contested race between Republican David Jolly and Democrat Alex Sink, with politicos split on who will claim victory, what it will mean for the political parties, what it will say about Obamacare and what it will signal for the nationwide congressional elections later this year.”
Politico: What to watch for tonight
Special Elections Become Common Path to House
David Hawkings: “Whatever the outcome of Tuesday’s tight congressional contest in Tampa Bay, this footnote is assured: The winner will become the 64th person in the current House first sent to the Capitol by a special election. That’s an astonishing 15 percent of the membership.”
Next President is Getting a New Car
“Whoever wins the next presidential election has at least one definite perk to look forward to: A new presidential limo, complete with classified armor specifications, that’ll replace the current ‘Beast’ introduced for President Obama’s 2009 inaugural parade,” Time reports.
