The lead item on Politico–titled “Dems Urge Obama to Take a Stand”–is almost surrealistic. Take a stand? The guy passed health care, a stimulus bill that helped avoid a Depression, a groundbreaking financial reform bill that is too complicated to be popularly described, a bailout that enabled General Motors and Chrysler to survive. He …
Domestic Policy
Morning Must Reads: At His Word
Reuters
–The White House thinks direct Israeli-Palestinian talks are a good way to undermine Hamas.
–Ethan Bronner sees skeptical observers and an air of resignation on both sides.
–Settlements remain a potential sticking point.
–Just back from Afghanistan, John Kerry sounds optimistic about chances for political …
The New Health Care Strategy in Action
As Crowley writes today on Time.com, health care is not dominating either party’s message heading into the midterms. But that doesn’t mean no one is talking about it. As Kate reports, Democrats are experimenting with novel ways of selling a skeptical electorate on the merits of the new law. Almost assuredly doomed Arkansas Senator …
Morning Must Reads: Perception is Everything
–Israelis and Palestinians will talk.
–Joe Donnelly puts Nancy Pelosi in another ad.
–The DNC still puts W. in its ads.
–Jeb thinks that’s lame.
–Charlie Cook says the House will flip.
–Bill Clinton will have to save ’em all.
–Health care messaging gets retooled. (Here’s why.)
–Maes won’t go.
–The …
The Year of Republican Women?
I have a story in this week’s dead tree edition out today looking at the seeming plethora of GOP women candidates this year. Yes, there are a lot of high profile races: Niki Haley, Sharron Angle, Linda McMahon, Sarah Palin’s “Mama Grizzlies.” And there have been a record number of Republican women who’ve run for federal office …
Morning Must Reads: Conflation
JEWEL SAMAD/AFP/Getty Images
–Our colleague Bobby Ghosh explores Islamophobia in America for this week’s newsstand edition of TIME. A taste:
But to be a Muslim in America now is to endure slings and arrows against your faith — not just in the schoolyard and the office but also outside your place of worship and in the public
…
Morning Must Reads: Direct Approach
Frank Polich / Reuters
–Prosecutors want another crack at Blago. They have until September 7 to file for a re-trial.
–Mitt Romney continues to stay out of the daily fray, throwing most of his strategic punches through op-eds. His offering in today’s BostonGlobe: Obama is anti-business.
–Mike Huckabee goes for a more …
Today’s Primaries
If it’s a Tuesday it’s a primary day and today voters are heading to the polls in Washington and Wyoming.
Voting has been going on in Washington for two weeks already and it looks likely that former State Senator Dino Rossi will easily win his primary. But the race hasn’t left him totally unscathed. Rossi, who lost two very …
Morning Must Reads: Running the Gantlet
REUTERS/Jason Reed
–Rep. Jerry Nadler, who represents the district that would be home to the Manhattan mosque, spells out an argument many people seem to be missing:
As much as I respect the sensitivities of people, there is a fundamental mistake behind it, and that is how can you — and I can quote any number of some of the
…
Maxine’s Goes on the De(O)ffense
Rep. Maxine Waters went on the offense with her defense against three ethics charges Friday morning with a 90-minute Capitol Hill press conference.
Waters move to try her case in the court of public opinion comes three days after former Ways & Means Committee Chairman Charlie Rangel took to the floor in a defiant speech defending …
Morning Must Reads: Liabilities
–The Washington Post profiles Elizabeth Warren. The timing may be good.
–Our colleague Michael Grunwald explores why Fed Chair Bernanke doesn’t have his foot on the monetary policy gas pedal.
–Worth re-posting: Scherer makes very good points about the Rangel case and Congress’s modus operandi.
–Carl Hulse writes porking …
Morning Must Reads: Crunching the Numbers
–The Obama administration sends $3 billion to jobless homeowners.
–There may be more of them this week than last; new unemployment filings hit a near six-month high.
–GM posts its best quarterly profit since 2004 as the automaker prepares to take its stock public. The federal government — and by extension you, dear taxpayer …
Morning Must Reads: Obama Claims a Win
Reuters/Jim Young
–As Jay notes, Obama political arm Organizing for America is trying to take some credit for Bennet’s solid victory last night in Colorado. The message: Just because we couldn’t save Specter or clear the field for Lincoln and Bennet, the White House political operation is not ineffectual.
–Establishment …