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Republicans to Blame for More Polarized Congress

December 28, 2012 at 5:44 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Harry Enten looks at statistics that rank members of Congress on a scale from -1 for most liberal to 1 for most conservative and finds Senate and House Democrats have been fairly stable at -0.4 since 1992.

“There has, however, been an increase in partisanship in the House, and it truly is ‘asymmetrical’. The Republican House caucus has been becoming more conservative every year since 1977, whether or not House Republicans are winning or losing elections. Republicans have climbed from 0.4 on the DW nominate scales after the 1992 elections to near 0.7 in the last congress. That type of charge towards polarization is historically unusual over data that stretches back 130 years.”

Likewise, Senate Republicans “have slowly and become more conservative in their roll call votes by moving from about 0.3 to 0.5 on the scale.”

Media Tip: 5 Things to Remember Next Time You Go on TV

December 28, 2012 at 12:30 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

A guest post from Brad Phillips, author of The Media Training Bible.

Appearing on television can be an odd experience, especially for spokespersons who aren’t familiar with some of the more challenging formats (such as “remote” interviews, in which spokespersons look directly into a camera and speak to a host in a different location).

This post will help strip away some of the mystery by arming you with five details you’ll need to know prior to your next television interview.

[Read more…]

First Holiday Votes Since 1970

December 28, 2012 at 11:00 am EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

The New York Times reports that yesterday was the first time in 42 years that there have been roll call votes in Congress during the week between Christmas and New Year’s Day.

“The House and Senate have held numerous pro forma sessions during the week between Christmas and New Year over the years, and in 1995 during a major budget battle. But the last time they held roll call votes that week, before Thursday, was during the second session of the 91st Congress, in 1970, amid a large spending fight and a filibuster over financing for a supersonic transport plane.”

Why They Want to Go Over the Fiscal Cliff

December 28, 2012 at 9:09 am EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

For all the warnings about the fiscal cliff, President Obama and congressional leaders are acting like they’ve decided it’s better to go off the cliff (at least in the short term) than make a deal.

Politico: “For many Republicans, a cliff dive means blaming President Barack Obama for a big tax hike in the short term and then voting to cut taxes for most Americans next month… For Democrats, the cliff is better than setting a rich man’s cutoff in the million-dollar range — or worse yet, extending the Bush tax cuts for all earners — and slashing Medicare and Social Security to appease Republicans. They, too, see an advantage in negotiating with Republicans who will feel freed from their promise not to vote to raise taxes once the rates have already gone up.”

Steve Kornacki: “It’s unclear whether today’s eleventh hour fiscal cliff summit at the White House represents a good faith effort to broker a deal or if it’s just for a show… The reality, though, is that it’s probably in both parties’ interest for no deal to emerge from today’s session.”

Wonk Wire: What it really means to fall off the fiscal cliff.

Dewhurst Campaign Manager Took at Least $600K

December 28, 2012 at 8:59 am EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Texas Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst’s (R) campaign manager “is under criminal scrutiny, suspected of stealing at least $600,000 — and possibly more than $1 million — from the Republican’s political accounts over the past several years,” the Dallas Morning News reports.

“The revelations, startling not only in the amount of missing money but also in the apparent brazenness of a campaign insider, have stunned Dewhurst’s close circle of advisers.”

Quote of the Day

December 28, 2012 at 5:00 am EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“I assume there will be some Supreme Court appointments in this next term; that alone was reason to vote for him. I don’t think I said anything a lot of people weren’t thinking. It’s easier now more than ever in my life to feel the fix is in, the game is rigged and no matter how hard you work to change things, it just doesn’t matter.”

— Matt Damon, in an interview with Playboy, on his frustration with President Obama.

Why Abercrombie Bucked Inouye

December 28, 2012 at 4:00 am EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Politico: “Hawaii Gov. Neil Abercrombie’s decision to buck the dying wish of legendary Sen. Daniel Inouye and install his own No. 2, Lt. Gov. Brian Schatz, as the state’s soon-to-be senior senator may be less surprising than it seems.”

“Abercrombie and Inouye were not allies. In fact, their two-decade relationship in Congress was marked by rifts — most notably over Inouye’s encouragement of a primary challenger to Abercrombie in the 2010 governor’s race. Abercrombie and Schatz were running mates in that same election.”

Electoral Clout of Blacks Is Driven by Turnout

December 27, 2012 at 11:06 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

A new Pew Research survey finds that blacks voted at a higher rate this year than other minority groups and for the first time in history may also have voted at a higher rate than whites.

“Unlike other minority groups whose increasing electoral muscle has been driven mainly by population growth, blacks’ rising share of the vote in the past four presidential elections has been the result of rising turnout rates.”

Obama Calls Lawmakers to the White House

December 27, 2012 at 10:29 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Congressional leaders will head to the White House on Friday to meet with President Obama in what Politico says “may be the final chance to restart negotiations just a few days before the nation plunges over the fiscal cliff.”

New York Times: “Lawmakers and aides from both parties cautioned that the burst of activity could be more about making sure the other side gets the blame than any real search for a resolution before the Jan. 1 deadline.”

Wall Street Journal: “It is still possible the two sides can reach a deal, especially with the leaders meeting Friday. Any resolution would be a scaled-back version of the package Mr. Obama and congressional leaders had anticipated passing after the November election… The 11th-hour strategy carries enormous risk because it leaves no margin for error in Congress’s balky legislative machinery.”

Clinton Will Return to Work Next Week

December 27, 2012 at 10:13 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will return to the State Department next week after three weeks of recovery from a stomach virus and a related concussion, The Cable reports.

“Clinton’s ongoing recovery will still prevent her from flying abroad, but will allow plans to move forward for her to testify in open hearing on the Sept. 11 attack on Benghazi, testimony that she was unable to give — as per her doctor’s orders — on Dec. 20. Her return to a public schedule could also end the weeks of conspiracy theorizing and wild speculation about whether or not she was faking or misrepresenting her illness to avoid testifying.”

Fox News: Will Clinton testimony hold up John Kerry’s nomination?

EPA Chief to Step Down

December 27, 2012 at 10:05 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

The New York Times
reports that Lisa Jackson is stepping down as administrator of the
Environmental Protection Agency “after a four-year tenure that began
with high hopes of sweeping action to address climate change and other
environmental ills but ended with a series of rear-guard actions to
defend the agency against challenges from industry, Republicans in
Congress and, at times, the Obama White House.”

BuzzFeed reports Jackson departs in part to her opposition to the controversial Keystone pipeline.

Most Americans Back Stricter Gun Controls

December 27, 2012 at 9:05 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

A new USA Today/Gallup poll finds a majority of Americans — 58% — support stricter gun laws in the aftermath of the Newtown school shooting, but most also oppose banning assault weapons.

Five Polling Lessons from 2012

December 27, 2012 at 8:56 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Harry Enten says there are five polling lessons we should take from the 2012 election season:

1. When likely and registered voter polls disagree in high turnout elections, you should usually go with the registered voter surveys.
2. Cellphones are generally needed for an accurate telephone poll.
3. Internet polling is the wave of the future.
4. Internal polls published publicly generally should not be trusted.
5. When state and national polls disagree, you should generally go with the state data.

Schwarzkopf is Dead at 78

December 27, 2012 at 8:51 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Retired Gen. Norman Schwarzkopf, “who topped an illustrious military career by commanding the U.S.-led international coalition that drove Saddam Hussein’s forces out of Kuwait in 1991 but kept a low public profile in controversies over the second Gulf War against Iraq, died,” the AP reports.

Boehner Calls House Back on Sunday Night

December 27, 2012 at 7:03 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) said the House of Representatives will reconvene on Sunday evening, just less than 30 hours before the United States reaches the fiscal cliff, NBC News reports.

Lawmakers were told that the House would come to order at 6:30 p.m. ET on Sunday in hopes of averting the end-of-year combination of tax hikes and spending cuts that constitute the fiscal cliff.

Said Boehner: “We’ve done our job, it’s up to the Senate to act. We’ll see if they do anything.”

Markey Will Run in Special Election to Replace Kerry

December 27, 2012 at 6:58 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Rep. Edward Markey (D-MA), dean of the state’s Washington delegation, will run in 2013 for the U.S. Senate seat expected to open with the nomination of Sen. John Kerry (D-MA) to head the State Department, the Boston Globe reports.

Markey is the first prominent candidate to declare a run for Kerry’s seat, which will be filled through a special election early next summer, probably in June.

Bonus Quote of the Day

December 27, 2012 at 6:36 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“It looks like that’s where we’re headed.”

— Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV), quoted by CNBC, on the fiscal cliff.

More Blame Republicans for Fiscal Cliff Crisis

December 27, 2012 at 6:08 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

A new Reuters/Ipsos poll finds Americans blame Republicans in Congress more than congressional Democrats or President Obama for the current “fiscal cliff” crisis, as the deadline approaches for action to avert big tax increases and spending cuts.

Key findings: 27% blamed Republicans in Congress, 16% blamed Obama and 6% pointed to Democrats in Congress. The largest percentage — 31% — blamed “all of the above.”