The Call: Fascinating Florida
This week’s podcast features Jay and Michael Grunwald talking about the latest in Sunshine State Senate drama. Enjoy:
Articles from Contributor
Morning Must Reads: Acceleration
Official White House Photo by Pete Souza
–The economy grew at 3.2 percent the annual rate in the first quarter, “setting the stage for gains in employment that may help the recovery broaden and accelerate,” according to Bloomberg.
–The Goldman case goes from civil suit to preliminary criminal investigation. For all the talk …
Crist Exits Stage Left, And The Show’s Just Getting Started
Florida Governor Charlie Crist exited the Republican senate primary with much fanfare this evening, announcing his intention to run without party affiliation before a hometown crowd of supporters in St. Petersburg and under the bright lights of a captivated national media. His decision not only launched a fascinating three-way Senate …
Harry Reid Runs on Health Care
Jon Ralston gets a hold of three new ads from the Nevada Senator’s re-election campaign:
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p-tJ4bUZzsY]
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ngJtaYV_2Bg]
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HzOIVzzRIYU]
There’s a brief biographical aside in the second one, but for the most part, …
Morning Must Reads: Tough Call
Photo by Melina Mara/The Washington Post via Getty Images
–Charlie Crist is expected to announce he’s running as a no party affiliation candidate at an event in St. Petersburg this afternoon. There’s a lot of good analysis out there on what it means for the race; more on this later.
–Marc Ambinder reports Crist reached out to …
Gordon Brown’s “Bigot” Blunder: The Beginning Of The End?
This story is dominating the UK’s election coverage. TIME’s London Bureau Chief Catherine Mayer explains:
The first I heard of the gaffe that has inevitably and instantly been christened “bigotgate” was from an 85-year-old Labour party activist. “Have you heard about Gordon’s latest banana skin?” he asked, shaking his head,
…
Only in Texas
Perry told The Associated Press on Tuesday he needed just one shot from the laser-sighted pistol he sometimes carries while jogging to take down a coyote that menaced his puppy during a February run near Austin.
Perry said he will carry his .380 Ruger – loaded with hollow-point bullets – when jogging on trails because he
…
Morning Must Reads: Toward November
Official White House Photo by Pete Souza
–The latest Washington Post/ABC News poll depicts a fiercely anti-incumbent mood with just 32 percent of respondents saying they would re-elect their representative. The internals have some positive indications for Obama though with job approval and issue-specific approval ticking …
Democratic Messaging, Financial Reform and the Midterms
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KHtW0E2l-Tc]
The Democratic National Committee is going up on national cable and in the D.C. market with the above ad hitting Republicans for blocking debate on financial reform. There’s a clear nod to the midterms at the end of the spot and DNC spokesman Hari Sevugan says it’s just the …
Why The Deficit Commission?
The president’s “National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform,” chaired by Democrat Erskine Bowles and former Republican Senator Alan Simpson, held its first official meeting this morning at the White House. Speaking about the endeavor, Obama pointed to the challenges financial crisis and economic downturn thrust on the …
Strange Bedfellows in Arkansas
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a_nFt6RcQEg]
While the U.S. Chamber of Commerce is busy airlifting executives into Washington to protest Blanche Lincoln’s derivatives plan, it is also singing her praises on Arkansas TV.
(via Salon)
Morning Must Reads: The Show
President Barack Obama participates in a town hall meeting on health care insurance reform at Gallatin Field in Belgrade, Mont., Aug. 14, 2009. (Official White House photo by Pete Souza)
–Obama departs on a two-day Midwest trip today with townhalls and business tours on the agenda. Jeff Zeleny writes it’s an effort to shore up …
Financial Reform: Popular In Abstract And In Detail
One of the casualties of the bitter year-long Congressional battle over health reform was good public standing of the endeavor as a whole. While individual policy proposals within the Democrats’ framework remained popular, the country soured on the patchwork package those policies formed. A Washington Post/ABC News poll released today …