“This is about tone. It’s about messaging and it’s about showing people what we’re for instead of what we’re against.”
— Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell (R), quoted by the Washington Post, describing his message to House Republicans at their retreat.
Obama Opens Second Term with Majority Approval
A new New York Times/CBS News poll finds 51% of Americans approve of the way President Obama is doing is job with 41% disapproving.
“Mr. Obama’s job approval rating is similar to that of George W. Bush at the start of his second term, but much lower than the ratings of the previous two presidents who served eight years. (President Bill Clinton’s approval rate was 60 percent in January 1997 and Ronald Reagan’s was 62 percent in January 1985.) More than 8 in 10 Democrats approve of his job performance, 8 in 10 Republicans disapprove and independents are evenly divided.”
Obama Campaign to Relaunch to Support Agenda
President Obama’s re-election campaign apparatus will relaunch this weekend as a tax-exempt group to support his second term legislative priorities, Politico reports.
The new organization will be separate from the DNC and will be headed by campaign manager Jim Messina.
Los Angeles Times: “If it is able to sustain the passion that propelled Obama twice into
the White House, the pro-Obama group may outstrip the role played by
traditional interest groups, from organized labor to the environmental
movement, and could form an independent power base outside the White
House and the Democratic Party.”
Most Believe at Least One Political Conspiracy Theory
A new Fairleigh Dickinson University poll finds that 63% of registered voters buy into at least one political conspiracy theory.
The nationwide survey asked Americans to evaluate four different political conspiracy theories: 56% of Democrats and 75% of Republicans say that at least one is likely true. This includes 36% who think that President Obama is hiding information about his background and early life, 25% who think that the government knew about 9/11 in advance, and 19% who think the 2012 Presidential election was stolen.”
Most interesting finding: “Generally, the more people know about current events, the less likely they are to believe in conspiracy theories – but not among Republicans, where more knowledge leads to greater belief in political conspiracies.”
GOP Retreat Off to a Rocky Start
The Cloakroom: A session on wooing minorities is being held in a room named after Virginia slaveholders.
How Congress Created the Debt Ceiling Problem
Josh Green points out that in 1979, Dick Gephardt, “who would later become House Democratic leader and twice run for president, devised a simple fix that met the absurd requirement of a two-step process. With help from the House parliamentarian, he established the Gephardt Rule, which decreed that when Congress adopted a budget resolution (the first step) it was automatically ‘deemed to have passed’ a commensurate increase in the debt limit (the second step). Presto. Problem solved.”
“The Gephardt Rule held for a decade and a half, during which there were no fights over raising the debt ceiling. But when Republicans took control of the House in 1995, they killed it… Gingrich thought the second vote was a good pressure tactic to limit
spending. Yet the threat of debt default didn’t work because nobody took
it seriously. What’s different now is that many Republicans seem
willing to follow through. Even Gingrich is worried.”
Majority Approve of Obama and His Agenda
A new NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll finds 52% of Americans approve of President Obama’s overall job performance.
They also mostly agree with his agenda:
“Fifty-six percent believe that the laws covering the sale of firearms should be stricter, compared with a combined 42% who want them less strict or kept the same… Also, for the first time in the poll, a majority of Americans — 52% — favor allowing illegal immigrants who hold jobs to apply for legal status in this country.”
“And in the latest fiscal fight in Washington, more respondents say they would blame congressional Republicans (45%) than Obama and congressional Democrats (33%) if the nation’s debt limit isn’t raised and the country is unable to meet its obligations.”
What’s Really Wrong with Congress
Just out: Dangerous Convictions: What’s Really Wrong with the U.S. Congress by Tom Allen.
The former Democratic congressman says that Members of Congress “don’t just disagree, they think the other side makes no sense.”
GOP Mulls Short Term Extension of Debt Ceiling
House Budget Chairman Paul Ryan (R-WI) told the Wall Street Journal that Republicans “are discussing whether to support a short-term increase in the nation’s borrowing authority, possibly linking the debt ceiling to future talks aimed at reaching a major deficit deal.”
“Ryan said no decisions have been made about how to approach the debt and spending negotiations, but that leaders hope House Republicans will reach consensus on a strategy by the end of the week.”
The Hill: “With the GOP divided and coming off a losing election and a frustrating
lame-duck session of Congress, party leaders have moved to scale back
expectations for members on what they can achieve in the face of a
popular Democratic president and larger Democratic majority in the
Senate.”
Fox News Renews Contract with Karl Rove
Fox News will soon announce that Karl Rove has signed a multi-year deal to remain an on-air analyst through the 2016 election, Politico reports.
“The contract assures the ratings-leader cable news network that it will retain one of its most popular commentators, and someone whose views continually make news, especially in the heat of a campaign.”
GOP Lawmakers Told to Stop Talking About Rape
GOP pollster Kellyanne Conway told House Republicans at their retreat that they need to stop talking about rape, Politico reports.
“Conway dispensed the stern advice as part of a polling presentation she made alongside fellow GOP pollsters David Winston — an adviser to House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) — and Dave Sackett. The comment was described by several sources in the room.”
Obama Loves to Quote Reagan
When President Obama quoted Ronald Reagan on gun control yesterday, it wasn’t the first time. In fact, Ryan Teague Beckwith notes it’s one of his favorite rhetorical tricks. Obama has quoted Reagan on everything from the debt ceiling to infrastructure spending to the campaign trail.
Idaho Lawmaker Compares Abortion and Prostitution
Idaho Rep. Ron Mendive (R) “drew audible gasps” when he asked representatives from the American Civil Liberties Union if their pro-abortion rights stance also means that they support prostitution, the AP reports.
Mendive said that since the ACLU supports a woman’s right to choose abortion, shouldn’t the organization also support prostitution, arguing that prostitution also is “a woman’s choice.”
Sanford Got Approval from Ex-Wife
Former South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford (R) tells John Avlon that one of his first conversations before he decided to run for Congress “was with his ex-wife, Jenny Sanford, who remains popular across the state and had been publicly mentioned as a possible Senate nominee and even a congressional candidate.”
Said Sanford: “I sat down with her on the porch and said, ‘If you have any thoughts about running for this, then I’m out, because I can’t think of anything more disastrous than for a husband and wife to run against each other.’ I also told my boys that I wouldn’t run if they didn’t want me to run.”
Lhota Enters Race for New York City Mayor
Joseph Lhota (R) filed documents to become a Republican candidate for mayor of New York City, the New York Times reports.
Lhota “is something of a throwback: an unapologetically outsize personality, known throughout his career for big emotions and an uninhibited style. His combination of experience — on Wall Street, in the Giuliani administration and, most recently, running the Metropolitan Transportation Authority — immediately changes the texture and character of a campaign dominated by Democratic elected officials.”
Cuomo Still Riding High
A new Siena poll in New York finds Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) continues to enjoy strong support from voters, with a 71% to 24% favorability rating and 60% to 38% job performance rating.
Obama in Strong Position at Start of Second Term
A new Pew Research survey finds President Obama’s approval rate at 52%, his highest since the early months of his presidency. “His personal favorability, currently 59%, has rebounded from a low of 50% in the fall campaign. And increasing percentages describe him as a strong leader, able to get things done and as someone who stands up for his beliefs.”
Meanwhile, the Republican Party’s image, “which reached a recent high of 42% favorable following the GOP convention this past summer, has fallen once again to a low of just 33%. Much of this decline has come among Republicans themselves.”
Candidate’s Stepmother Declines to Endorse Him
Former New York City public advocate Betsy Gotbaum declined to endorse her stepson, Noah Gotbaum, for the same office, the New York Times reports.
Gotbaum said that her decision was not personal and that she and her stepson had “a close relationship.”
