Now available for pre-order: The Passage of Power: The Years of Lyndon Johnson by Robert Caro.
It’s been nine years since Master of the Senate was published and I can hardly wait.
Quote of the Day
“If you all just listen for 30 seconds, I will explain this one time. We
are getting back on message. End of story. Back on message.”
— Herman Cain, quoted by Time, saying he’s he is done answering questions about sexual harassment allegations.
Walsh Honored for Being Pro-Family
Rep. Joe Walsh (R-IL) was honored for “unwavering support of the family” by the Family Research Council Action Committee even though his ex-wife says he owes more than $100,000 in back child support for their three children, the Chicago Sun Times reports.
Walsh counters that he and his wife had a “verbal agreement” that he didn’t have to pay child support during years when he wasn’t earning as much.
Cain’s Support Dips After Allegations
A new Reuters/Ipsos online poll finds sexual harassment allegations have begun to damage Herman Cain’s bid for the White House. The poll showed the percentage of Republicans who view Cain favorably dropped 9 percentage points, to 57% from 66% a week ago.
Key finding: 53% believe sexual harassment allegations against Cain are true despite his denials. Republicans were less likely to believe they are true, with 39% thinking they are accurate.
Cain-Gingrich in 2012?
David Brody: “Herman Cain and Newt Gingrich were on stage together in what was billed as a classic Lincoln-Douglas style debate. As I sat and watched the entire event, I came away with one vivid impression: Did I just finish watching the Republican presidential ticket in 2012? Cain/Gingrich? Don’t laugh. It could happen. Romney has a ceiling of support and Rick Perry seems stuck in neutral.”
“Herman Cain’s poll numbers continue to impress and like Ronald Reagan, he seems to have a Teflon quality to him. Gingrich is steadily rising in the polls due to the fact that voters are starting to realize that this guy is REALLY smart and is an idea factory. Could this be a ticket that provides both style and substance?”
Democratic Insiders in Florida More Confident
A St. Petersburg Times poll of 100 of Florida’s most plugged-in politicos finds Democrats are more optimistic than Republicans about winning the White House next year. Nine percent of Democrats surveyed said they expect Obama to lose the election — and only if Mitt Romney is the GOP nominee — while nearly 29% of the Republicans predict Obama will win.
Quote of the Day
“The people who vote on taxes are the people who pay them.”
— Pollster Mark Penn, quoted by National Journal, arguing that President Obama’s drive for higher taxes on the rich will eventually bite him.
Obama Approval Up Slightly
A new Reuters/Ipsos poll finds President Obama’s approval rate up a bit to 49%, with disapproval at 50%.
However, the poll also showed Obama would finish just behind Mitt Romney if the presidential election were held today, 44% to 43%, among registered voters. It was the first Reuters/Ipsos poll to show Romney ahead, although his slim lead is within the survey’s margin of error and technically a dead heat.
Giffords Vows to Return to Congress
Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-AZ) “vows to return to Congress in a new book that details months of intense therapy and her emotional battle to come to terms with what happened when a gunman opened fire in front of a Tucson grocery store,” the AP reports after obtaining a copy of her memoir, called Gabby: A Story of Courage and Hope, due out later this month.
The book also describes lighter moments, “like when President George H.W. Bush
and his wife, Barbara, visited Giffords at the Texas hospital. Giffords
kept replying to Bush with the only word she was able to say: ‘chicken.’ At another point, a specialist showed her various politicians
to see if she recognized people. When she saw former California Gov.
Arnold Schwarzenegger, she said: ‘Messin’ around. Babies.'”
Bonus Quote of the Day
“I’ve been as consistent as human beings can be.”
— Mitt Romney, in an editorial board meeting with the Seacoast Media Group.
McConnell Now Wants Grand Bargain
As the supercommittee charged with reducing the deficit works on a plan
that both cuts at least $1.2 trillion over ten years and can pass
Congress, recent shifts by Republican leadership may signal the return
of the “grand bargain” that President Obama and House Speaker John
Boehner (R-OH) had originally tried to negotiate.
Earlier reports indicate that Boehner has softened his line on tax increases in the final deal, while The Hill
reports that Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) “has made an
about-face in recent days and now favors a huge deficit-reduction
deal.”
“At the beginning of this week, Senate GOP and
Democratic sources said McConnell appeared to favor a $1.2 trillion
package out of the deficit-reduction supercommittee… A $4 trillion
deal has gained more popularity in the Senate GOP conference this week
as lawmakers have become convinced that Obama wants the
deficit-reduction supercommittee to fail.”
Clinton Says the Country is a Mess
Bill Clinton writes in his new book, Back to Work, that last summer’s political fight over raising the U.S. debt ceiling made the nation look “weak and confused” overseas, the AP reports.
He also “describes the current state of the country as ‘a mess’ and largely blames the anti-government sentiment embodied in the tea party movement that has held sway since the 1980s. But Clinton also criticizes Obama and other Democratic lawmakers for not making a stronger case for the steps they took to stabilize the U.S. economy in 2009, like the bank and auto company bailouts and the $787 billion economic stimulus program.”
Romney Automated Calls Attack Perry
Mitt Romney paid for automated telephone calls in Iowa accusing rival Rick Perry of contributing to illegal immigration, the AP reports.
The call is the first paid attack by Romney on Perry.
Making it in the Political Blogosphere
From a profile in Making it in the Political Blogosphere: The World’s Top Political Bloggers Share the Secrets to Success by Tanni Haas, which is out next week:
“Taegan Goddard’s Political Wire has a special place in the political blogosphere. Operating much like a traditional wire service, it’s the site to which thousands of political insiders — Members of Congress and their staff, political consultants and pollsters, lobbyists, journalists, and political bloggers — go several times a day to get news, analysis, and commentary on the latest political developments that drive political debate in the U.S.”
“60 Minutes” Grills Both Pelosi and Boehner
House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) “pushed back hard” against an upcoming 60 Minutes report “that is expected to raise questions about potential conflicts of interest between congressional leaders’ personal stock holdings and their involvement in legislation that may affect those investments,” Politico reports.
Republicans More Enthusiastic About Voting
A new Gallup poll finds Republican voters are more likely to express enthusiasm about voting in next year’s presidential election.
On the national level, 56% of Republican registered voters and 48% of Democratic voters are extremely or very enthusiastic about voting. In 12 key swing states, the Republican advantage in enthusiasm is 59% to 48%.
Quote of the Day
“Are you better off today than you were $4 trillion ago?”
— Rick Perry, quoted by National Journal, in a campaign swing through Iowa.
Boehner Says Debt Deal Will Include Tax Increases
House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) acknowledged that any bipartisan agreement on debt reduction will need to include some new tax revenue, CBS News reports.
Said Boehner: “I think there is room for revenues, but I think there clearly is a limit to the amount of revenues that are available.”
“The comment was significant because Boehner and other Republican leaders have repeatedly insisted that tax increases are off the table, and most Republicans in the House and Senate have signed a ‘taxpayer protection pledge’ vowing not to raise taxes.”
