Beth Reinhard: “As
the Republican governor of Florida, Charlie Crist paid dearly for
putting his arms around President Obama at a town hall touting the
Democrats’ economic-stimulus plan in February 2009. The governor’s chief
rival for the U.S. Senate, Marco Rubio, replayed footage of the embrace
over and over, savaging Crist’s conservative credentials. Now running
as a Democrat for his old job, Crist may find that his continued embrace
of an increasingly unpopular president–and his controversial health
care law–could thwart him once again.”
Majority Supports Path to Citizenship
New York Times: “A
consistent and solid majority of Americans — 63 percent — crossing
party and religious lines favors legislation to create a pathway to
citizenship for immigrants living in the United States illegally, while
only 14 percent support legal residency with no option for citizenship,
according a report published Monday by the nonpartisan Public Religion
Research Institute.”
Filibuster’s End Imperils Sebelius
Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius “may become the biggest loser in the Senate’s approval of filibuster reform,” The Hill reports.
Sebelius “has kept her job despite the botched rollout of ObamaCare’s insurance exchanges, but it will now be easier for Obama to replace her. After the Senate’s vote, confirming an executive-branch nominee now takes just 51 Senate votes. Some think that raises the likelihood Sebelius will soon be a former Cabinet member.”
Politico: “Democrats must still find a modicum of compromise with the GOP if they want to swiftly approve Obama’s team. That’s because the filibuster remains in place as a delay tactic, requiring the Senate to burn hours of floor time unless the two parties can agree to speed up procedural votes.”
Quote of the Day
“I’m not a particularly ideological person.”
— President Obama, quoted by Politico, at a Democratic fundraiser.
Are Democratic Leaders in Denial Over Obamacare?
“Democratic leaders claim the bungled launch of Obamacare is just the latest news sensation — a media-stirred tempest that looks in the heat of the moment like it could upend the midterm election, but ends up fizzling well before voters head to the polls,” Politico reports.
“Some party strategists say they’re in denial. And that perceived gap between party spin and facts on the ground is fueling worries that the White House and Democratic higher-ups aren’t taking the possible electoral blowback seriously enough or doing enough to shield their candidates. Democratic contenders in the toughest races are distinctly less convinced that Obamacare will fade as an election-year issue — and they can’t afford to just cross their fingers that things get ironed out or that Republicans revert to political hara-kiri.”
Meanwhile, Democratic strategists tell The Hill that President Obama “has to get healthcare working smoothly if he is to have any chance of breathing life into his second term.”
Diplomatic Accord Opens Door to Middle East
For President Obama, “whose popularity and second-term agenda have been ravaged by the chaotic rollout of the health care law, the preliminary nuclear deal reached with Iran on Sunday is more than a welcome change of subject,” the New York Times reports.
“It is also a seminal moment — one that thrusts foreign policy to the forefront in a White House preoccupied by domestic woes, and one that presents Mr. Obama with the chance to chart a new American course in the Middle East for the first time in more than three decades.”
Wall Street Journal: “Israel and Saudi Arabia worry that the talks with Iran represent just
the latest evidence that a war-weary U.S. is seeking to close the books
on a series of nettlesome problems.”
Meanwhile, the Washington Post has a behind-the-scenes look at how the deal came together after a marathon negotiating session.
Fewer Think Obama Can Govern Effectively
A new CNN/ORC poll finds 40% of Americans believe President Obama can manage the federal government effectively — a 12 point-drop since June.
Said pollster Keating Holland: “A lot of attention has focused on the president’s numbers on honesty in new polling the past three weeks, but it looks like the recent controversy over ObamaCare has had a bigger impact on his status as an effective manager of the government, and that may be what is really driving the drop in Obama’s approval rating this fall.”
De Blasio Campaign Manager Now Working for Crist
Bill Hyers is “suddenly a blazing hot commodity after managing Bill de Blasio’s New York mayoral victory. Almost without taking a breath, he has been snapped up to run the marquee 2014 Florida gubernatorial campaign of Republican-turned-independent-turned-Democrat Charlie Crist,” the Washington Post reports.
Extra Bonus Quote of the Day
“It will poison the atmosphere of the Senate.”
— Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX), in an interview on Bloomberg TV, on the filibuster rule change.
Schweitzer Mulling a Presidential Bid?
Former Montana Gov. Brian Schweitzer (D) hinted to Steve Kornacki that he might run for president in 2016.
Said Schweitzer: “There’s around 100 counties in Iowa, and on my bucket list is to try and make it to all the counties of Iowa someday.”
Bonus Quote of the Day
“I think then we have to consider extending the deadline for the mandate, but let’s hope that doesn’t happen.”
— Sen. Al Franken (D-MN), in an interview on Minnesota Public Radio, suggesting he’s open to delaying the Obamacare individual mandate if the website isn’t fixed in time.
Fixing the Website Isn’t Enough
Amy Davidson: “Since the rollout, Obama has treated it as a given that the website will be fixed, and that everyone will remember how bad the present system has been and how much better the new one is… After five years in the White House, Obama still believes that he can go into a corner, tinker with something until it’s better, and win on the merits. The long view can serve him well, but it can also leave him unprepared when the other side won’t give up on an all-out battle. Health-care reform is the President’s signature legislative achievement, and a historic one. To preserve it, he needs to fight for it politically, state by state. This time, the Obama brand alone isn’t enough.”
The JFK Industry
Daily Beast: “If the torrent of 50th anniversary articles, symposia, blog posts, TV documentaries and docudramas, historical reenactments, new books, and reissues has left you aghast at the bottomless self-involvement of your elders, please keep in mind that the deluge this month is nothing compared to the steady rain that fell on us almost every month between 1963 and 1967.”
“Remembering JFK became an industry in those years. The double murder of a U.S. president and his suspected assassin–within 48 hours of each other–multiplied expon-entially the number of angles that journalists, historians, self-appointed gumshoes, and total crackpots could pursue. The light that bounced off those shattering events, somehow mirroring each other, has many of us still trying to see straight and fit the pieces together in a logical pattern.”
Brown Still Not Saying Whether He’ll Run Again
“He has millions of dollars in his campaign account, solid approval ratings and a small number of potential challengers who are virtually unknown, but Gov. Jerry Brown still won’t say whether he’ll run for reelection next year,” the Los Angeles Times reports.
“Although Brown stays mostly out of the spotlight, his aggressive fundraising — and his preference for biding his time — put the safe money on a run for an unprecedented fourth term as governor, a race he would enter as a strong front-runner. And experts say that despite an already respectable war chest, it behooves him to wait.”
Quote of the Day
“Amazing what White House will do to distract attention from Obamacare.”
— Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX), on Twitter, about the deal reached last night with Iran on their nuclear program.
Major Powers Reach Deal with Iran
“The U.S. and five other world powers struck a historic agreement with Iran, agreeing to ease part of an economic stranglehold in exchange for steps aimed at capping Tehran’s nuclear program and ensuring the country’s Islamist government doesn’t rush to develop atomic weapons,” the Wall Street Journal reports.
“The agreement calls for Iran to stop its production of near-weapons grade nuclear fuel–which is uranium enriched to 20% purity–and for the removal of Tehran’s stockpile of the fissile material, which is estimated to be nearly enough to produce one nuclear bomb.”
“Iran, in return, will gain relief from Western economic sanctions that U.S. officials believe will provide between $6 billion and $7 billion in badly needed foreign exchange for Tehran over the next half-year.”
Republicans Cry Foul Over Obamacare Push Back
After trying for months to delay implementation of the new health care law, Republican lawmakers are now “pushing back hard against the Obama administration’s decision to delay next year’s open enrollment season for health coverage under Obamacare until after the 2014 midterm elections,” the AP reports.
Embattled Cheney Books TV Time
Liz Cheney (R) “is ending the roughest week of her political career by reserving nearly $40,000 more in TV time in Wyoming, a significant buy nine months before the Senate primary,” Politico reports.
