The Daily Reviewer | Taegan Goddard's Political Wire

Unions Play Hardball on Health Care

Mar 13, 2010 5:59pm

Greg Sargent reports that unions are taking "a shot across the bow of House Dems wavering on health reform," threatening to pull support and even field primary opponents for a "no" vote on the Senate bill. Key quote: "This is the most important issue on everyone's plate. We're sending a message...

Talking to Rasmussen

Mar 13, 2010 12:52pm

Glenn Reynolds interviews pollster Scott Rasmussen about his new book, In Search of Self-Governance, and the consent of the governed....

Lawmaker Quits After Hot Tub Confession

Mar 13, 2010 11:22am

Utah House Majority Leader Kevin Garn (R) announced that "he was resigning from the Utah Legislature, two days after revelations of a nude hot-tubbing incident with a minor 25 years ago and a payment to keep it quiet," the Salt Lake Tribune reports....

Rubio's Lavish Rise to the Top

Mar 13, 2010 10:28am

Florida Gov. Charlie Crist (R) couldn't ask for a better look at his Senate primary challenger's rise through the Republican party ranks.A St. Petersburg Times/Miami Herald investigation finds Marco Rubio (R) "was barely solvent as a young lawmaker climbing his way to the top post in the Florida House, but...

Quote of the Day

Mar 13, 2010 7:13am

"He's more powerful than the entire Republican National Committee. He has a better e-mail list, he has better ideas, he's a better communicator and he's more in touch with what people think." -- Pollster Frank Luntz, quoted by the New York Times, on Newt Gingrich....

You Have to be Crazy to Run for President

Mar 13, 2010 7:02am

Peggy Noonan read Game Change and wishes it was made up. But sadly, no one to her (or my) knowledge has come forward to say, "I didn't say that!" or, "That's a lie!" "Not only do staffers turn on candidates in this book, but candidates turn on staffers. At times...

The Political Case for Health Care Reform

Mar 13, 2010 6:12am

White House pollster Joel Benenson writes in the Washington Post that there's "no question that a majority of Americans oppose a government-run health system. But there is no government-run health care in the plan, and not a single American would be forced into any government-run program." "In politics, new information is...

Bulk Orders Boosted Romney's Book

Mar 12, 2010 6:02pm

Mitt Romney's No Apology tops the New York Times bestseller list this week. However, a "dagger" symbol next to the book signifies that "some bookstores report receiving bulk orders." Romney's book actually has two daggers. In contrast, Sarah Palin's Going Rogue never received a dagger next to its listing while a...

Young Avoids Jail

Mar 12, 2010 4:48pm

Former John Edwards aide Andrew Young and his wife won't be sent to jail, the Raleigh News and Observer reports, after a lengthy hearing about a sex tape featuring the former presidential candidate and his onetime mistress. "Young was threatened with jail last week following questions about whether he was truthful...

Extra Bonus Quote of the Day

Mar 12, 2010 3:37pm

"They're ignoring me. That's their strategy now. The House Democratic leaders think they have the votes to pass the Senate's health-care bill without us." -- Rep. Bart Stupak (D-MI), in an interview with the National Review, explaining that the House will not be adding revised language on abortion to the reconciliation...

Flirting with Birtherism

Mar 12, 2010 12:30pm

Marc Ambinder notes there are now five major Republican Senate candidates who have at least initially refused to answer whether they believe President Obama is actually an American citizen."Several of these candidates have later corrected their initial hesitation, but it is precisely that initial hesitation that contains so much information...

McCollum Favored in Florida

Mar 12, 2010 11:59am

A new Public Policy Polling survey in Florida finds neither of the top gubernatorial candidates is particularly well known or liked. Nonetheless, Bill McCollum (R) has a solid early lead over Alex Sink (D), 44% to 31%....

Petraeus Makes Trip to New Hampshire

Mar 12, 2010 11:25am

Expect the 2012 buzz to get louder: Army Gen. David Petraeus, commander of U.S. Central Command and earlier the top U.S. general in Iraq, will visit Saint Anselm College in New Hampshire later this month, the St. Anselm Crier reports....

Health Care Vote Likely Next Week

Mar 12, 2010 11:19am

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi told her members "to brace themselves for a climactic health care vote as early as next week, warning them to clear their schedules for next weekend and promising to stay in session until the landmark vote, people present said afterwards," Politico reports. Noting that President Obama postponed...

Bonus Quote of the Day

Mar 12, 2010 11:12am

"I could have possibly beaten Sen. McCain in the primary. Then I could have been the candidate who lost to Barack Obama." -- Mitt Romney, quoted by the Observer & Eccentric, "suggesting the winds of change were inevitable." ...

Newsom Will Run for Lt. Governor

Mar 12, 2010 11:03am

As it seemed last month, San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom (D) will announce that he's running for lieutenant governor of California, the San Francisco Chronicle reports. Many political analysts say Newsom will be the candidate to beat in the Democratic primary June 8. Last year, Newsom quit the race for governor when...

The Problem with Whip Counts

Mar 12, 2010 8:23am

Good point from Mark Murray: "Here's one of the disadvantages of media organizations doing whip counts of the Senate health-care bill passing in the House: They're missing the wiggle room some Democratic members are giving themselves."...

Specter Leads Toomey in Pennsylvania

Mar 12, 2010 8:19am

A new DailyKos/Research 2000 poll in Pennsylvania finds Sen. Arlen Specter (D) leading Pat Toomey (R), 47% to 41%.In a Democratic primary, Specter is still way ahead of Rep. Joe Sestak (D), 51% to 32%.Last week a Quinnipiac poll also found Specter leading Toomey....

Dead Heat in Colorado

Mar 12, 2010 7:20am

A new Public Policy Polling survey in Colorado finds Sen. Michael Bennet (D-CO) and challenger Jane Norton (R) tied at 43% in the U.S. Senate race. Interestingly, Andrew Romanoff (D) actually leads Norton, 44% to 39%, "reflecting other recent polling that has shown him doing better in general election matches than...

Huckabee Doesn't Sound Like a Candidate

Mar 12, 2010 7:12am

Mike Huckabee told students at New York University that he was not sure if he'll run for president in 2012, reports NYU News. In fact, he seems quite content having his own television show on Fox News. Said Huckabee: "It's kind of given me a new perspective of the power of the media...

Save the Date!

Mar 12, 2010 6:52am

I'll be moderating CQ-Roll Call's "Off to the Races" event in Washington, D.C. at the Columbus Club at Union Station on March 23 at 8:30 am.We'll have a great panel with Tucker Carlson, Stuart Rothenberg, Craig Crawford and Walter Shapiro offering their insights and analysis on the midterm elections. Check...

Who is Barack Obama?

Mar 12, 2010 6:36am

David Brooks points out that conservative Republicans and liberal Democrats are "diametrically opposed" yet "entirely predictable" in their assessment of President Obama to date. "Liberals are wrong to call him weak and indecisive. He's just not always pursuing their aims. Conservatives are wrong to call him a big-government liberal. That's just...

Obama Delays Asia Trip for Health Care Bill

Mar 12, 2010 6:16am

President Obama is delaying his Asia trip from March 18 to March 21 to work on health care, the AP reports. This delay is most likely caused by the Senate parliamentarian, who according to The Hill, has ruled that President Obama "must sign the health care reform bill before Democrats can...

Will Health Care Reform Help or Hurt Politically?

Mar 12, 2010 6:08am

If President Obama's health care bill passes, a new Congressional Insiders Poll finds that 76% of Republicans said it would help their party a lot in the midterm elections and 24% said it would help a little. Not a single Republican surveyed said it would hurt their party. As for Democrats,...

Democrats Consider the "Slaughter Solution"

Mar 12, 2010 5:45am

The Daily Caller reports House Democrats might use "a highly unorthodox procedure," called the "Slaughter Solution," to pass a reconciliation bill for health care reform "that simply deemed the Senate bill passed, allowing hesitant lawmakers to circumvent actually casting a ballot in favor of a law they don't like." Republicans coined...