National Journal:
“When budget negotiations began last month, Democrats felt confident
that public opinion surrounding the government shutdown would force
Republicans to the table, eager to prove their party could compromise.
But today, there’s little sense of urgency on a budget deal. With less
than four weeks to go before the conference committee’s deadline, the
public focus has shifted to the troubled rollout of the Affordable Care
Act and pressure on Republicans has subsided.”
Ford Remains Defiant in Interview
Embattled Toronto Mayor Rob Ford was defiant in an interview with the Today Show saying, “They’re not going to find another Rob Ford.”
Meanwhile, the Globe and Mail asked me why Americans are so interested in the story.
Sink Holds Lead in Florida Special Election
A new St. Pete Polls survey in Florida’s 13th congressional district finds Alex Sink (D) leading Kathleen Powers (R), 50% to 31%, and topping David Jolly (R), 49% to 35%.
Top Staffers Quit Gingrey’s Campaign
Rep. Phil Gingrey’s (R-GA) campaign for U.S. Senate took a blow as four top staffers resigned, the Atlanta Journal Constitution reports.
“We understand this was, in part, the result of a leadership struggle within the campaign. The Gingrey campaign has been marred by gaffes from the candidate — the latest when the congressman’s complaints on the issue of health care coverage for congressional staffers, made during a private House GOP caucus meeting, were leaked.”
Edwards Opens Law Practice
John Edwards “is returning to his roots and opening a new law practice” with his former partner and daughter, the New York Times reports.
Said Edwards: “The reason we formed this firm is because we all believe in the same thing — in standing up for the disenfranchised and those who need an equal chance. That’s why we exist.”
Romney Would Win a Hypothetical Re-Match
A new ABC News-Washington Post poll finds Mitt Romney would win a presidential election if it were held today, 49% to 45%.
Cochran Just Ahead in Potential GOP Primary
A new Public Policy Polling survey in Mississippi finds Sen. Thad Cochran (R-MS) in trouble if he decides to run for re-election.
Cochran leads Chris McDaniel (R) in a head-to-head Republican primary match up by just six points, 44% to 38%.
Key finding: When asked if they want to vote for Cochran or “someone more conservative,” 55% of GOP primary voters chose the generic more conservative option.
Quote of the Day
“I urinated in a parking lot… what does that have to do with anything?”
— Toronto Mayor Rob Ford, quoted by the Toronto Star.
Healthcare Plan Enrollment Surges in Some States
“Despite the disastrous rollout of the federal government’s healthcare website, enrollment is surging in many states as tens of thousands of consumers sign up for insurance plans made available by President Obama’s health law,” the Los Angeles Times reports.
“A number of states that use their own systems, including California, are on track to hit enrollment targets for 2014 because of a sharp increase in November… The growing enrollment in those states is a rare bit of good news for backers of the Affordable Care Act and suggests that the serious problems with the law’s rollout may not be fatal, despite critics’ renewed calls for repeal.”
Obama Ratings Tumble
A new Washington Post-ABC News poll finds President Obama’s approval rate is now at the lowest point of his presidency, 42% to 55%, “with dwindling faith in his competence and in many of the personal attributes that have buoyed him in the past.”
“For the first time in Obama’s presidency, a bare majority of Americans, 52%, say they have an unfavorable impression of him, with 46 percent saying they view him favorably. Those ratings have declined from a net positive of 23 points at the time of his inauguration in January.”
Report Warned of Risks Before Obamacare Launch
The Obama administration “brought in a private consulting team to independently assess how the federal online health insurance enrollment system was developing, according to a newly disclosed document, and in late March received a clear warning that its Oct. 1 launch was fraught with risks,” the Washington Post reports.
“The analysis by McKinsey & Co. foreshadowed many of the problems that have dogged HealthCare.gov since its rollout, including the facts that the call-in centers would not work properly if the online system was malfunctioning and that insufficient testing would make it difficult to fix problems after the launch.”
Conversation with Jeff Greenfield
Jeff Greenfield, one of the wisest political analysts around, is our guest on the Political Wire podcast.
The back and forth and ups and downs of the last few weeks in Washington, D.C. make for terrific political theater but Greenfield warns that predicting how it’s going to play out in 2014 or 2016 is not that easy.
It’s a great conversation. Listen here:
Subscribe via iTunes or RSS to get the latest episodes automatically downloaded om your phone.
Obama Holds Nationwide Call with Supporters
President Obama “will be huddling — electronically, at least — with his former campaign supporters Monday night to shore up support after two months of troubles with his signature health law have left him bruised and put the brakes on his domestic agenda,” the Wall Street Journal reports.
Republicans Block Another Obama Nominee
Senate Republicans “denied President Obama his third nominee in recent weeks to the nation’s most powerful and prestigious appeals court and insisted they would not back down, inflaming a bitter debate over a president’s right to shape the judiciary,” the New York Times reports.
“Unlike previous fights over judicial nominees, this one is not driven by ideology or divisive social issues like abortion. Republicans have raised few objections to any of the candidates’ qualifications or political leanings. Rather, Republicans are trying to prevent Mr. Obama from filling any slots on the court, fearing that he will alter its conservative tilt.”
New Spending Creates Wave of Wealth in Washington, DC
“The avalanche of cash that made Washington rich in the last decade has transformed the culture of a once staid capital and created a new wave of well-heeled insiders,” the Washington Post reports.
“The winners in the new Washington are not just the former senators, party consiglieri and four-star generals who have always profited from their connections. Now they are also the former bureaucrats, accountants and staff officers for whom unimagined riches are suddenly possible. They are the entrepreneurs attracted to the capital by its aura of prosperity and its super-educated workforce. They are the lawyers, lobbyists and executives who work for companies that barely had a presence in Washington before the boom.”
White House Says No Shake-Up Coming
The White House “denied reports of a staff shake-up in the aftermath of the botched Obamacare rollout,” The Hill reports.
“Press secretary Jay Carney insisted that the president’s team was singularly focused on making improvements to the enrollment figures, not examining what went wrong behind the scenes and who was responsible.”
Ford Knocks Over Councilor in Contentious Meeting
“An unprecedented council meeting descended temporarily into chaos on Monday, when Mayor Rob Ford and Councillor Doug Ford got into a screaming match with spectators,” the Toronto Star reports.
A remarkable video shows Ford knocking over Councillor Pam McConnell but catching her before she fell.
A Living History of the JFK Assassination
Just released for the iPhone: The Day That Launched The Kennedy Half Century.
It’s a companion app for Larry Sabato’s The Kennedy Half Century.
