Robyn Beck/AFP/Getty Images
Feb 8 2010, 5:31PM
Why Murtha Mattered
The Atlantic Wire's Ben Carlson takes in analysis of Rep. John Murtha's (D-PA) life and death. Comments on Murtha's significance range from his respect among the other party, his status as a hero to his constituents in Johnstown, PA, and his impact on the Iraq war debate when he came out against the war in 2005, becoming one of Congress's strongest and most influential war critics.
Kris Connor/Getty Images
Feb 8 2010, 5:27PM
Pence Endorses Rubio
It's yet another high profile endorsement for Florida Senate candidate Marco Rubio: Rep. Mike Pence (R-IN), chairman of the House Republican Conference and a possible contender for the 2012 GOP White House nomination, has thrown his support behind Rubio. Rubio has long been a national conservative darling, enjoying the enthusiastic support of conservative activists and the influential Club for Growth, and now he's got the polling edge to back it up: polls taken since Jan. 20 by Quinnipiac, Rasmussen, and Fabrizio McLaughlin have shown Rubio ahead by three, 11, and 14 percentage points respectively.
Flickr user J
Feb 8 2010, 5:09PM
The Invisible Primary, 2/8
Tracking the GOP race to 2012
Sarah Palin delivered the keynote address at the Tea Party Nation convention in Nashville over the weekend, delivering some campaign-style lines and aided by some crib notes on her hand; Kathryn Jean Lopez wonders if Rick Santorum could be the Tea Party candidate for president; Mike Pence endorsed Marco Rubio; Eric Cantor likes President Obama's idea for a health care summit but doubts Nancy Pelosi will go along with GOP ideas; and Tim Pawlenty spoke to the annual Emerging Issues Forum in Raleigh, NC.
Sarah Palin delivered the keynote address at the Tea Party Nation convention in Nashville over the weekend, delivering some campaign-style lines and aided by some crib notes on her hand; Kathryn Jean Lopez wonders if Rick Santorum could be the Tea Party candidate for president; Mike Pence endorsed Marco Rubio; Eric Cantor likes President Obama's idea for a health care summit but doubts Nancy Pelosi will go along with GOP ideas; and Tim Pawlenty spoke to the annual Emerging Issues Forum in Raleigh, NC.
Jobs Bill Could Contain Card Check
At first, this report from the Las Vegas Sun sounds as though conservatives have mostly won the fight against Big Labor to keep the Obama administration from stripping the secret...
Jobs Stalled By Weather, Republicans
Snow and Republicans are conspiring against the nation's unemployed. There's not much anyone can do about the former, with even more forecasted over the next day and a half. And...
Sarah Palin Needs Help
There's something which, if you've ever been in the business of trying to sell consulting services, you've probably grown accustomed to. It's what I call the "consulting paradox". Namely, it's...
The Six Republican Ideas Already In The Health Care Reform Bill
At this point, I don't think it's well understood how many of the GOP's central health-care policy ideas have already been included as compromises in the health-care bill. But one...
Urbanworld Film Festival/Flickr
Feb 8 2010, 4:29PM
Bill Clinton Likes Queen Latifah
Bill Clinton was in Miami on Friday attending a BET telethon fundraiser for Haiti, and, other than his personal investment in Haiti's rebuilding efforts, one of the take-away points from this interview with EXTRA was that the former president is a fan of Queen Latifah: "You know whenever I see Queen Latifah doing well, it reminds me that once in a while the good guys win. I think she's a really fine human being, and she's also beautiful and talented and smart, but she's a good person," Clinton said.
ajagendorf25
Feb 8 2010, 1:56PM
Tea Partier For Congress
A Tea Party favorite is mounting a challenge to Rep. Travis Childers (D-MS), Hotline OnCall's Reid Wilson reports: Fox News analyst Angela McGlowan, who addressed the Tea Party Nation convention in Nashville over the weekend, will run for Childers's seat, entering a prime race for Republicans in 2010--the Cook Political Report rates Mississippi's third district as a toss up, and the district's partisan voter index sits at R+14--and she'll square off in the primary against a Republican that has gotten some attention from the NRCC; state Sen. Alan Nunnelee is a member of the Young Guns program, having hit fundraising goals that put him at the "Contender" level.
quinn.anya/Flickr
Feb 8 2010, 12:53PM
Will Obama's Summit Work?
President Obama has invited Republicans and Democrats to the White House for a televised summit on health care Feb. 25. It's the latest in the president's series of high-profile policy summits--which have turned out to be a staple of his political and governing style--and it will mark the White House's first big, concerted, public drive to pass health care reform since Scott Brown's victory in Massachusetts (unless you count the State of the Union, which touched on health care along with many, many topics).
So will it work? The Atlantic Wire's Max Fisher runs through analysis on the topic, and commentators are divided: some see it as a good move, allowing Obama to highlight GOP obstructionism, while others point out that it will give Republicans a platform to sell their ideas.
So will it work? The Atlantic Wire's Max Fisher runs through analysis on the topic, and commentators are divided: some see it as a good move, allowing Obama to highlight GOP obstructionism, while others point out that it will give Republicans a platform to sell their ideas.
teamstickergiant/Flickr
Feb 8 2010, 12:17PM
A Very Speculative Matchup: Obama Crushes Palin, Bloomberg In 2012
Another tidbit from Marist's new poll: in what Marist bills as a "VERY Hypothetical Matchup" for 2012, President Obama dominates a presidential race against Sarah Palin and an independent Michael Bloomberg, who have hypothetically stepped up to challenge him.
Marist's results: Obama 44%, Palin 29%, Bloomberg 15%, with 12% unsure of how they'd vote. The question was asked of 910 registered voters nationwide Feb. 1-3, margin of error +/-3.5%.
Obama is helped by Bloomberg's independent run, which collects votes from 20% of Republicans while only taking 4% of Democrats.
Marist's results: Obama 44%, Palin 29%, Bloomberg 15%, with 12% unsure of how they'd vote. The question was asked of 910 registered voters nationwide Feb. 1-3, margin of error +/-3.5%.
Obama is helped by Bloomberg's independent run, which collects votes from 20% of Republicans while only taking 4% of Democrats.
Mario Tama/Getty Images
Feb 8 2010, 11:38AM
Independents Disapprove Of Obama
President Obama's approval ratings have slid to an average of 49.1% disapproval and 47.7% approval--some of the lowest numbers of his presidency so far--and Marist released a poll today that highlights the slide Obama has experienced among independents: 57% of independents now disapprove of Obama's performance as president, while 29% approve and 14% are unsure.
Compare that to Marist's last poll, taken in the first week of December, when 44% of independents disapproved, 41% approved, and 15% were unsure. Obama's disapproval rating among independents has climbed 13% among independents over the past two months, according to Marist's data.
It's the first time, in Marist's polling, that a majority of independents have disapproved of Obama as president.
Marist polled 910 voters (Democrat, Republican, and independent) Feb. 1-3 for the survey; margin of error was +/-3.5%.
Compare that to Marist's last poll, taken in the first week of December, when 44% of independents disapproved, 41% approved, and 15% were unsure. Obama's disapproval rating among independents has climbed 13% among independents over the past two months, according to Marist's data.
It's the first time, in Marist's polling, that a majority of independents have disapproved of Obama as president.
Marist polled 910 voters (Democrat, Republican, and independent) Feb. 1-3 for the survey; margin of error was +/-3.5%.
YouTube screengrab
Feb 8 2010, 10:46AM
The Other Political Super Bowl Ad
Watching TV in Washington, DC--particularly cable news--carries the distinct drawback of exposing District viewers to more political ads out of election season, commonly run by interest groups seeking to influence the national discussion by gaining the ear of opinion makers.
The Super Bowl was no different: to the surprise of anyone consumed by anticipation of the Tim Tebow abortion ad, CBS's DC feed carried a political ad criticizing U.S. debt, featuring American children pledging allegiance to the Chinese government.
If the Tebow ad was demurely apolitical, this ad was anything but.
The Super Bowl was no different: to the surprise of anyone consumed by anticipation of the Tim Tebow abortion ad, CBS's DC feed carried a political ad criticizing U.S. debt, featuring American children pledging allegiance to the Chinese government.
If the Tebow ad was demurely apolitical, this ad was anything but.
tinkerbrad/Flickr
Feb 8 2010, 10:07AM
Economic Anxiety Is Bipartisan
Gallup released findings today on economic confidence by state, and it appears anxiety doesn't give a clear partisan edge one way or the other.
Conventional wisdom says that an improved, or improving, economy is good for President Obama and Democrats, while economic anxiety is bad for the president's party. Of the 10 states with the highest confidence ratings, five voted for Obama in '08 and five voted for John McCain; of the 10 states with the least confidence in the economy, six voted for Obama and four for McCain.
Conventional wisdom says that an improved, or improving, economy is good for President Obama and Democrats, while economic anxiety is bad for the president's party. Of the 10 states with the highest confidence ratings, five voted for Obama in '08 and five voted for John McCain; of the 10 states with the least confidence in the economy, six voted for Obama and four for McCain.
