Obama pitches Kagan to Brown

Boston Globe:

President Obama this morning called [Massachusetts Sen. Scott Brown] shortly after the announcement to talk to him about Kagan.

Brown told the president that he would "keep an open mind," according to an aide.

Poizner unveils new immigration ad

As noted earlier, Steve Poizner -- feeling some wind behind his back -- is touring the U.S./Mexico border today, timed with the release of this TV ad, airing across CA.



To reiterate the CW, Meg Whitman's opposition to the AZ immigration law plays into the narrative that she pivoted to the general election awhile ago. Poizner, meanwhile, is taking a decidedly right-wing position, which should play well in the primary.

NYers don't want Pataki to run (but give him kudos)

A Marist poll (pdf) says 71% of registered voters in NY don't want the state's former governor to run for Prez in 2012, while 23% like the idea.

But it's not all bad news for Pataki: the poll asked "Which one of the following do you think has been the best governor for New York State?"

The options: Nelson Rockefeller, Hugh Carey, Mario Cuomo, George Pataki, Eliot Spitzer, and David Paterson.

Pataki edged Cuomo for the top spot, winning 33% of those surveyed.

Interestingly enough, Spitzer was named by 9%; David Paterson just 3%.

[Hat tip: NY Daily News]

Thune promises "fair" look at Kagan

John Thune reacts to Elena Kagan's appointment to the Supreme Court.

“A lifetime appointment to the Supreme Court is a serious matter, and Ms. Kagan and the American people deserve a fair hearing and a thorough examination of her background and legal record. Our Constitution and laws must be what guide the decisions of our Supreme Court justices, not political inclinations or personal feelings.

While I opposed Ms. Kagan’s previous nomination to be Solicitor General, I look forward to carefully reviewing her qualifications and record from throughout her career.

I am particularly interested to see if she would be a judge who is committed to applying the law as it is written, as opposed to legislating from the bench.

Given that Ms. Kagan does not have a judicial record, it will be especially important for Senators to inquire as to her views on the Constitution and the role of the Court.”

Poizner touring border

San Diego News Network:

Steve Poizner is scheduled to tour the U.S.-Mexico border crossing at San Ysidro Monday, coinciding with the release of a new television commercial focusing on his immigration plan and support for Arizona’s recently adopted anti-illegal immigration law.

Chris Cillizza wrote today about the increasingly close race between Poizner and Meg Whitman.

In a memo distributed to reporters last week, Poizner pollster Neil Newhouse released data that put Whitman ahead of Poizner by 38 percent to 28 percent, a far cry from the edge of 59 percent to 11 percent she held done in February. (The Fix is aware of at least two other private polls that show the race that close or closer.)

Jeb, Rubio respond to West

Allen West -- a Florida Republican candidate for congress and favorite of grassroots conservatives -- takes on two of the state's most popular Republicans over Arizona's immigration law.

Palm Beach Post:

[West] told a satellite radio show that two Florida Republican icons - former Gov. Jeb Bush and Senate candidate Marco Rubio - should be "ashamed" for not supporting Arizona's new crackdown on illegal immigrants.

Bush and Rubio had qualms about a portion of the Arizona law - since amended - that critics said gave police too much latitude to stop people and question their immigration status. Bush and Rubio also say immigration is a federal responsibility that states shouldn't tackle.

As for West's suggestion that he should be "ashamed," Bush said, "I don't think he's been briefed about my views. I've talked to him once in my life. He seems like a good man and he seems like a good candidate."

Rubio said he hadn't heard West's remark. "I'm not going to comment on something I didn't hear," he said. Of West, he said, "We have a good relationship. I've run into him often on the campaign trail. I think he's doing a great job on his campaign."

Palin hits "bogus" stories about income

From the New York Daily News:

We asked her about suggestions, from people like [Oliver] Stone, that her beloved "everyday Americans" might have trouble relating to her reported $100,000 speaking fees and demands for Lear jets.

"These stories were kind of annoying about what I asked for - bendable straws and goofy things like that," she said. "It's also bogus how much money I supposedly make."

Pointing to her black lace dress, she said, "This is a consignment shop piece. You can ask [my husband] Todd. He'll say, 'Really, where is all that money?' We live in Wasilla, Alaska. You can't get more grounded than that."

Presumably, the "bogus" stories include ABC's estimate that she's raked in $12 million since resigning as governor of Alaska.

[Hat tip: ANI]

Is Sanford cloud passing?

A sign of the diminishing appetite for looking back in South Carolina's GOP primary.

Charleston Post & Courier:

S.C. Attorney General Henry McMaster appeared before Charleston's Sertoma Club on Wednesday but didn't get a single question about his big decision two days ago.

McMaster announced Monday he wouldn't pursue any criminal charges against Gov. Mark Sanford related to ethics issues that arose after Sanford returned from a secret visit to his mistress in Argentina.

As McMaster chatted with club members, the issue did come up, though. "Some people said, 'You did the right thing. It needed to be done,' " he said.

Palin endorses Fiorina

Interesting choice for Sarah Palin, considering Chuck DeVore seems to be the tea party candidate in California's Senate race.

There's no mention of DeVore in her facebook post, but Palin does hit a nameless Tom Campbell near the end.

I’d like to tell you about a Commonsense Conservative running for office in California this year. She grew up in a modest home with a school teacher dad, worked her way through several colleges, and then entered an arena where few women had tread. Through a combination of hard work, perseverance, and common sense, she proved the naysayers wrong to reach the top of her field, where she led with distinction – facing hard truths, making tough decisions, and showing real leadership through a rocky transition period. Where others had failed, her company had weathered the storm and settled on a stronger new foundation.

Her name is Carly Fiorina, and I’m proud to endorse her for U.S. Senate.

Carly is the Commonsense Conservative that California needs and our country could sure use in these trying times. Most importantly, she’s running for the right reasons. She has an understanding that is sorely lacking in D.C. She’s not a career politician. She’s a businesswoman who has run a major corporation. She knows how to really incentivize job creation. Her fiscal conservatism is rooted in real life experience.

.... Please consider that Carly is the conservative who has the potential to beat California’s liberal senator, Barbara Boxer, in November. I’m a huge proponent of contested primaries, so I’m glad to see the contest in California’s GOP, but I support Carly as she fights through a tough primary against a liberal member of the GOP who seems to bear almost no difference to Boxer, one of the most leftwing members of the Senate.

Palin clarifies

By repeating for On the Red Carpet the company line.

"It's an Alaskan documentary, not a reality show.

We're going to be showing off the beauty, the uniqueness and the ruggedness of Alaska, our natural environment, and the characters who live up there and make their living."

True or not, the reality description's likely to stick -- if only because the producer, Mark Burnett, is the genre's god.

Now if Ken Burns made a 10-part, 20-hour series focused on letters from Alaskan residents to non-Alaskans, then you'd have your documentary.

[Hat tip: Buzz Tracker]

The CA-Senate debate drinking game

Always ready to push the envelope a bit, Carly Fiorina's team sends out a drinking game it's created for tonight's debate in California's Senate primary race.

And by "push the envelope", I mean take shots at the politics of talking about your pocket-constitution, acknowledge that everyone (including Fiorina) will claim they're the strongest against Boxer, and -- here's the best -- Chuck DeVore in Lebanon!

Republican U.S. Senate Candidate Debate Drinking Game

Take half a sip or shot depending on your beverage preference every time: (we feel the half-shot is important to avoid total inebriation within the first 20 minutes of the debate):

Ø Any candidate uses the term “fiscal conservative”
Ø Chuck DeVore or Tom Campbell reference their respective pocket Constitutions
Ø Chuck DeVore and Tom Campbell compliment, praise or otherwise seek to uplift one another
Ø Carly says, “Chuck, you know that’s not true…”
Ø Any candidate says they are the best one to beat Boxer

Take a full shot/sip every time:

Ø Tom Campbell references he was once called the “cheapest man in Congress”
Ø Tom Campbell references Glass-Steagall or Gramm Rudman
Ø Chuck DeVore says he was shot at in Lebanon
Ø Chuck DeVore mentions his high-tech billboard campaign strategy
Ø Carly talks about real world experience in creating jobs, cutting budgets and making a payroll

Extra Credit! Take two shots any time:

Ø Demon Sheep is referenced
Ø HindenBoxer is invoked
Ø Chuck DeVore mentions his “shorty” award
Ø The term “birther” is used

Johnson on prostitution, AZ law, Sarah Palin

Salon runs as great a profile and interview of former NM Gov. Gary Johnson as you'll find.

So many options on what to highlight, but here are a couple.

Johnson on prostitution:

"It's never been a consideration that I would enlist the services of a prostitute, myself personally.

But if I were to do that, where would I want to enlist that service? Well, it would probably be in Nevada, where it's legal, because it would be safe."

On the Arizona immigration law:

"I just don't think it's going to work," he says. "I think it' s going to lead to racial profiling. I don't how you determine one individual from another -- is it color of skin? -- as to whether one is an American citizen or the other is an illegal immigrant."

And on Sarah Palin's qualifications to be President (he doesn't really answer the question. Or, if you buy his premise, then everyone who becomes President is qualified).

"Who is qualified? Who isn't? I really do believe that people are smart when it comes to rendering that judgment. If she's not, ultimately people won't vote for her. Conversely, if people vote for her, she'll get a chance."

More here....

Miller on tea parties, run for office

Newsmax runs a fun interview with Dennis Miller.

Newsmax: Are you a tea partyer [sic]?

Miller: Yes, I would go in a second. I like the tea party people; I admire them. Yes, you can put me down for that. I like the fact that it stays small. Those big marches peter out the next day. I like the fact the tea party happens in people’s drawing rooms.

Newsmax: You’ve denied it before, but your name often comes up as a potential public servant.

Miller: You know what? As much as I would love to get at a podium opposite Barbara Boxer, and believe me, I have dreams about that, I am just not cut out for it. It’s the glacial aspect of it. It moves so slowly. I would get kicked out. I would just step up to the mic when they gave me my two minutes and say, “This is bull****.” We have got to make sure that these kids come back from war and they never pay another tax. Forget giving $60 million to ACORN; give it to the troops. I would just be so off the reservation that they’d probably kick me out.

To try to somehow relate this post to '12.... One year ago, Miller joked about a ticket for '12.

"I would get Gingrich in the Presidential spot. I would get Sarah Palin in the Vice-Presidential spot, I would bill it as Newty and the Beauty."

Pawlenty: Don't throw out baby with oily water

Tim Pawlenty tells ABC's Topline that the spill shouldn't affect policy on coastal drilling.

"I was told this is the first off-shore drilling incident of any significance since the 1960's. Almost 40 years have passed with[out] an incident like that. I think there are certainly going to be lessons learned as a result of this tragedy.

But I hope that they go to the issue of improving safeguards, of improving technology, and improving oversight; not trying to shut down drilling, because again, over 40 years we haven't had this number of problems, and we need the energy."

Comes about 8 mins in.

Santorum talks in Michigan

Rick Santorum hits another early primary state tonight, as he speaks to the Southeast Michigan Ronald Reagan Memorial Dinner.

Sponsors say the focus of the event is the party's effort to recapture the 9th District seat now held by freshman Democratic U.S. Rep. Gary Peters.

Rubio ups (fundraising) ante

Orlando-Sentinel:

A new Rubio mailer warns potential donors that Crist’s announcement has turned the U.S. Senate race into a “multi-million dollar free-for-all!”

Before Crist went indy, it claims, Rubio’s primary budget was “right around $10 million”

But, the mailer says, “Now, I’m afraid I will need to spend over $20 million.”

Please donate

Quick update -- a) note to self: don't schedule a pledge drive on a week when your schedule is crazy, and you hardly have time to blog.

b) nevertheless, still please donate, even though the blog is quiet this week (we're just over $300 with only one week to go -- again, if we don't hit the $1K, you get your refund).

Fiorina scores big pro-life endorsement

A cogent, California Pro-Life Council board member, Mike Spence, on his group's choice of Carly Fiorina over the similarly pro-life, Chuck DeVore.

"Our duty is to elect pro-life candidates. The word 'elect' is as important as the word 'pro-life'."

Big guns at the NRA

Later this month, the NRA is holding its annual convention, and Paul Bedard notes some of the names on the guest list: Sarah Palin, John Thune, Haley Barbour, Jim DeMint, Mike Pence.

The convention's organizer, Chris Cox:

"It's a beauty contest of those who support the Second Amendment."

Last year, Mitt Romney used his speech at the convention for a heavy hit on both the POTUS' domestic and foreign policy (xcript here).

[Hat tip: Texas4SarahPalin]

Waging a different campaign

In a profile of David Petraeus, Philip Klein gives a lot of good reasons why a 2012 run won't be on the General's schedule.

It's hard to envision any scenario under which Petraeus would abandon his post during a critical stage of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan so that he could barnstorm around Iowa and New Hampshire making political speeches attacking the commander in chief.

And if he did, it would undermine the very qualities that make him attractive as a potential candidate to begin with. On top of this, right now, Americans are more concerned with domestic issues like the economy and health care than they are with national security matters.

Thus, if Petraeus were ever to decide to run for president, it's unlikely to happen before the 2016 election.

.... If Petraeus entered a Republican primary battle, he'd no longer be treated with the deference typically paid to high-ranking military officers, and would be subject both to personal attacks and interrogations about his domestic policy views, which remain unknown. There was a time when Colin Powell was seen as a potential Republican candidate, but that speculation evaporated as some of his more liberal positions became known.

As I've mentioned before, the most telling description of his politics comes from a 2008 column, in which he describes himself as a Rockefeller Republican. Essentially, that's an old-school version of RINO.

Last year, Reihan Salam described him thusly.

He is attractive to Republicans because he is, like Colin Powell in 1996 and Dwight Eisenhower in 1952, an unknown quantity, a vessel in which we can invest our ideological hopes.

Duffy wins T-Paw's contest

CQ Politics reports that Wisconsin congressional candidate, Sean Duffy, has won Tim Pawlenty's online endorsement contest.

.... [Pawlenty encouraged] his backers to vote for their favorite 2010 midterm candidate from among the 22 he has endorsed.

Pawlenty's promise: Whoever got the most votes by April 29 would receive extra exposure and money.

Duffy will now get to co-host a Facebook town hall with Pawlenty; send a solicitation using the Freedom First PAC's e-mail list; and get a $1 match for every dollar the PAC helps his campaign raise from individual donors, up to the $5,000 limit.

A measure of landslides

From a new Mason & Dixon poll for the Salt Lake Tribune.

2012 matchups:

a. Mitt Romney 73% Barack Obama 22%

b. Ron Paul 48% Barack Obama 31%

c. Sarah Palin 53% Barack Obama 32%

A more interesting story lies in their 2012 primary poll of Republican delegates to the state convention.

In that measure of conservative activism, Paul ranks second (roughly 20%) to Romney (roughly 50%) and actually outperforms Palin.

For very hypothetical kicks, the pollster also included a question with Ambassador Jon Huntsman in the mix.

.... he [Huntsman] grabs just 10 percent of delegates' support for president, pulling pretty much all of that following from Romney backers.

Huntsman would finish third, behind Romney and Paul and be about even with Palin.

Please donate

A reminder to keep gop12 going by donating via the paypal button on the right side-bar.

If we can't make it to $1k by next week, the bad news is that the site will go black. The good news is that you'll get your donations refunded (big thx to those who've given).



PS I explained all this (minus the Flying Lizards) last week.

Barbour as "First-Responder-in-Chief"

The Clarion-Ledger has a glowing look at Haley Barbour's performance during the many disasters that have hit his state.

It's a long list.

Perhaps like no other Mississippi governor since the late John Bell Williams - who led the state through Hurricane Camille in 1969 - Barbour has been called upon to serve as Mississippi's first responder-in-chief.

Hurricanes? In addition to leading Mississippi through 2005's Hurricane Katrina - the worst natural disaster in the nation's history - there was Ivan in 2004, Dennis and Rita in 2005, Gustav and Ike in 2008, and several lesser tropical depressions.

Tornadoes? In addition to the killer tornado that cut a 150-mile swath through Mississippi on April 24 - killing 10, injuring dozens and damaging over 700 homes - Barbour has led the state through major tornadoes including: Mendenhall and Louisville in 2004; Hinds, Lamar, Rankin and Smith counties in 2005; Sumrall and Lamar County in 2006; Forrest, Kemper and Jones counties in 2007; another 13 counties in 2008; and Simpson County in 2009.

Flooding? There was massive Pearl River flooding in central and south Mississippi in 2004 - along with a dam break in Purvis. In 2009, rains generated crop disasters in 79 of the state's 82 counties.

.... State Rep. George Flaggs, D-Vicksburg, said Wednesday that Barbour "in a disaster is the right man at the right time with the right plan, and I respect what he's done."

This is right in line with three words commonly accompanying Barbour for Prez buzz: competence, intelligence, and connections.

Speaking of which...

"Look, I see it like this - after Katrina, it was a blessing to have a governor who had experience in Washington," Barbour said. "Katrina was an event that was unique and there wasn't a playbook. The feds were making it up as they went along, the state was making it up as we went along.

"The fact that I had been in Washington a long time, knew people, had a good reputation with decision-makers, was a blessing," he said. "Let's just say it came in handy."

[Hat tip: Majority in Mississippi]

Poizner "really in sync with the tea partiers"

California held its last GOP gubernatorial debate last night, and a few things stand out from The New York Times' report -- namely, Steve Poizner's attempt to position himself as a conservative populist.

The debate’s first question addressed whether Ms. Whitman’s wealth would make it difficult for her to understand the plight of average Californians. “I deeply understand the challenges that every Californian faces,” she said.

Ms. Poizner, who wore a blazer with no tie, then referred to himself as someone who understood “coming from the trenches.”

“The working folks in California, I don’t think, necessarily is something Meg Whitman fully and completely understands how to relate to,” he said.

Mr. Poizner continually tried to stake out conservative positions, saying he was “really in sync with the Tea Partiers,” and calling the state’s 2006 global warming law — intended to reduce greenhouse gases and signed by Mr. Schwarzenegger — “extreme.”

Mitt and Monson

A pollster tries finding a figure who can compare favorably with Mitt Romney in Utah:

Nearly four of every five Utahns — 79 percent — said they have a favorable impression of Romney, according to a new Deseret News/KSL-TV poll of registered voters by Dan Jones & Associates.

Longtime pollster Jones said he cannot remember any politician achieving more popularity in Utah. "He won 93 percent of the vote in the Republican presidential primary here," Jones said.

He adds that he can't think of anyone more popular in the state, except "maybe President (Thomas S.) Monson," leader of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Beyond that, here's (more) bad news for Sen. Bob Bennett.

.... only 18 percent said they had a "very favorable" view of him, which is actually lower than the 19 percent who reported a "very favorable" view of Obama.

UPDATE: Should probably include this, too. Palin's fav in the state is 53%; Bob Bennett is at 50%.