David Brooks: “President Obama’s proposals are small and medium-size retreads, while
Mitt Romney has run the closest thing to a policy-free race as any
candidate in my lifetime. Republicans spend their days fleshing out
proposals, which Romney decides not to champion.”
Wisconsin Senate Primary a Dead Heat
A new We Ask America poll in Wisconsin finds Eric Hovde (R) deadlocked with Tommy Thompson (R) at 23% each for the GOP U.S. Senate nomination, followed by Mark Neumann at 17% and Jeff Fitzgerald (R) at 12%.
The primary is on August 14.
Bonus Quote of the Day
“And I realize that there will be some in the Fourth Estate, or whichever estate, who are far more interested in finding something to write about that is unrelated to the economy, to geopolitics, to the threat of war, to the reality of conflict in Afghanistan today, to a nuclearization of Iran. They’ll instead try and find anything else to divert from the fact that these last four years have been tough years for our country.”
— Mitt Romney, quoted by National Journal, addressing the gaffes made on his overseas trip.
Large Majority of Democrats Back Gay Marriage
Reports that the Democratic party will support gay marriage in its party platform are in keeping with a big shift in public opinion over the last four years. A new Pew Research survey finds support for gay marriage among Democrats has jumped to 65% today, more than double the percentage that is opposed (29%).
In 2008, only 50% of Democrats favored allowing gays and lesbians to marry legally, while 42% were opposed.
Did Staffing Make the Difference in Overseas Trips?
The Washington Post compares the campaign trips abroad taken by Barack Obama in 2008 and Mitt Romney in 2012.
“So what’s the difference — other than four years and two vastly different candidates? Here’s one big distinction: the Obama campaign loaded up on staff firepower while the Romney camp had a relative ghost crew.”
“For his trip, Obama got assists from at least 14 top staffers and advisors, many of whom were heavy hitters with serious foreign policy and economic credentials… Romney, on the other hand, has only three senior staffers with him for the entire trip: policy director Lanhee Chen; foreign policy aide Alex Wong; and press secretary Andrea Saul.”
Rubio Inc.
Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) “may be slipping down the shortlist of potential Mitt Romney running mates,” Politico reports, but the vice presidential buzz surrounding him “has helped put his new memoir on The New York Times‘s best-seller list, creating a windfall that could potentially wipe out the senator’s personal debt. Coffers for his campaign committee and leadership PAC also have become flush with cash in recent months — he’s seen a 50 percent uptick in donations.”
Said one GOP strategist: “This could be one of those times when you’re better off being the one everybody wants rather than being the one who actually gets picked.”
What Will LaTourette Say?
Rep. Steve LaTourette (R-OH), who surprised nearly everyone by announcing his retirement last night, is holding a news conference in Ohio at 10:00 am ET.
Politico: “LaTourette was one of the last of a dying breed — a moderate, union-friendly Republican who stood up to the right flank of the House Republican Conference. In the 112th Congress, it put him at odds with a good bulk of his GOP colleagues, including, at times, his longtime friend and ally, Speaker John Boehner (R-OH). But LaTourette’s political isolation within the party was at odds with his ambition within the House Republican Conference. He wanted to resume his place toward the top of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, according to several GOP aides.”
First Read: “Trust us folks, this press conference has the whiff of ‘score settling’ written all over it.”
Judging Romney’s Overseas Trip
First Read: “Since we’re in Olympics season, think of it as a floor exercise in gymnastics. Romney picked a routine with a low degree of difficulty — a cartwheel here (visiting Great Britain), one somersault there (the stop in Israel), and a grand finale featuring a simple back flip (the last leg in Poland). There were some upsides for him: Americans saw him on their TV sets during the opening ceremony at the Olympics; he bonded with Israeli PM Netanyahu; he gave a solid speech in Israel; and got his photo-op with Lech Walesa in Poland.”
“But because the routine was so simple, the mistakes stuck out even more. So as Romney performed his cartwheel in England, he stepped out of bounds when he questioned London’s readiness for the Olympics. He lost additional points for flubbing the end of the somersault in Israel when he tried to explain the economic differences between Israel and the Palestinian Authority through a cultural prism (that may end up offending Mexican Americans as much as he appeared to offend Palestinians). And after sticking his landing in Poland, his campaign got into a spat with the judges — that is, the reporters following him.”
Romney to Announce Veep with an App
Mitt Romney will announce his running mate via an app for mobile phones.
Charlie Cook: “Romney has a chance to hit the reset button with his vice presidential pick. It’s not that his choice itself is likely to make that much difference, but it is likely to begin a new and different narrative, shifting the focus away from his finances and his critical review of the United Kingdom’s handling of preparations for the London Olympics, and that’s probably a good thing.”
Quote of the Day
“Let’s face it, Romney can’t win, but Obama can lose.”
— GOP consultant Ed Rogers, quoted by the Washington Post.
Romney Aide Curses at Press in Poland
Mitt Romney’s traveling press secretary “lost his cool and cursed at reporters who attempted to ask questions of the Republican presidential candidate in a public plaza near the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Warsaw,” CNN reports.
Said aide Rick Gorka: “Kiss my ass, this is a holy site for the Polish people. Show some respect.”
Gorka than told a reporter to “shove it.”
Politico reports Gorka subsequently called two reporters to apologize.
San Antonio Mayor Tapped for DNC Keynote
San Antonio Mayor Julián Castro (D), “who was jokingly mistaken for a White House intern by Barack Obama less than three years ago, will deliver the keynote address at the Democratic National Convention that will nominate the president for a second term,” the Texas Tribune reports.
“Castro will speak in prime time on Sept. 4, the first night of the convention in Charlotte, N.C. First lady Michelle Obama is scheduled to deliver remarks the same night.”
Obama Descended from First Slave
Ancestry.com has discovered that John Punch, the first African enslaved for life in America, was the 11th great-grandfather of President Obama.
CNN notes researchers “found the new connection to the president’s African roots through an unlikely link, that of Obama’s Caucasian mother. President Obama’s African American roots had previously been tied to his father’s Kenyan birth. But as genealogists were pouring through documents tracing Stanley Ann Dunham’s ancestors, they found a connection to the Bunch family which had recently published DNA evidence that they had roots in sub-Saharan Africa.”
Warren Will Speak Just Before Clinton at Convention
Massachusetts U.S. Senate candidate Elizabeth Warren (D) “will not deliver the keynote speech at this year’s Democratic National Convention but instead will speak immediately before former President Bill Clinton on what party officials hope will be an energetic second-to-last night,” the Boston Globe reports.
LaTourette Will Not Run for Re-Election
Three high-placed Republican sources tell the Columbus Dispatch that Rep. Steven LaTourette (R-OH) “has decided not to run for re-election, leaving party members rushing to find a replacement in time for the Nov. 6 election.”
“A source said LaTourette is leaving because of a dispute with House leadership about future committee assignments.”
Bill Clinton Popularity Hits New High
A new Gallup poll finds 66% of Americans have a favorable opinion of former President Bill Clinton, tying his record-high favorability rating recorded at the time of his inauguration in January 1993.
Clinton nearly returned to this level of popularity at two points in his second term, but has generally seen lower ratings, averaging 56% since 1993.
Romney’s Trip Continues With Another Fumble
The White House “was subtlety gleeful today as Mitt Romney’s campaign dealt with the latest group to be offended during the Republican presidential candidate’s overseas tour that was intended to showcase his foreign policy credentials,” ABC News reports.
“Romney’s newest diplomatic fumble has insulted the Palestinians by suggesting that the discrepancy between the wealth of Israel and Palestinians was due in part to their different cultures. A top Palestinian labeled the analysis racist.”
National Journal: “For any man who would be president there are unwritten rules of
foreign diplomacy. Mitt Romney seems to have internalized some, while
others apparently slipped out of the briefing book on his flight across
the Atlantic to debut as a potential leader of the free world.”
No Change in Views on Gun Control
A new Pew Research survey finds there has been no significant change in public views on the issue of gun control following the July 20th shooting at a Colorado movie theater. Currently, 47% say it is more important to control gun ownership, while 46% say it is more important to protect the rights of Americans to own guns.
That is virtually unchanged from a survey earlier this year in April, when 45% prioritized gun control 49% gun rights.
