Taegan Goddard's Political Wire
Political news, polls and buzz
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Schieffer Out, White In?
Tom Schieffer (D) has decided to end his bid for governor of Texas, reports the Dallas Morning News. According to the Houston Chronicle, the speculation now is that popular Houston Mayor Bill White (D) will likely jump in the race. First Read notes this "could very well give Democrats their best …
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Obama Not Losing Independents
Charles Franklin notes there have been several articles about President Obama losing support among independents. "But support for Obama has not plummeted among independents, and that needs to be clarified before it becomes erroneous conventional wisdom... Claims of abandonment of Obama by indepen …
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Sanford Charged for Ethics Lapses
The South Carolina Ethics Commission has charged Gov. Mark Sanford (R) with 37 counts of breaking state ethics laws, The State reports. "Those charges allege that, in 18 instances, Sanford authorized, approved or allowed the purchase of business-class airfare so that he could travel to and within …
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RNC Mulls Conservative Purity Test
First Read has obtained a resoultion being e-mailed around to Republican National Committee members for comments that proposes a conservative litmus test of sorts for candidates.If a candidate disagrees with three of the 10 items on the list, the RNC would withhold financial assistance and an endors …
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Gillibrand Struggles with Recognition
A new Marist Poll finds that 10 months after Kirsten Gillibrand (D) was appointed to the U.S. Senate she has failed to become a household name among registered voters in New York State. Just 25% of New York voters think Gillibrand is doing either an excellent or good job in office, and 12% believ …
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Newsom Breaks Silence
"In his first extensive interview since dropping out of the California governor's race, Gavin Newsom wanted to talk solely about the city's budget plight, but CBS 5 pushed him to answer questions about his uncharacteristic absence from the public limelight since ending his gubernatorial bid." "Ne …
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Young Voters Hold Key to Democrats Future
A new Project Vote study shows both why Democrats are worried about next year's midterm elections and optimistic about the long term trends for their party. This revolves around two key findings about turnout of young voters: For the past seven election cycles, the national turnout rate in mid …
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Bachmann Wonders Why Democrats Dislike Her
In an interview with the St. Cloud Times, Rep. Michelle Bachmann (R-MN) is confused about why she's the target of so many Democratic attacks. Said Bachmann: "I grew up a Democrat in a Democrat family. My husband and I both worked on Jimmy Carter's presidential campaign. The first time I ever came …
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Palin Visits Billy Graham
Sarah Palin "took a detour from her book-signing tour Sunday to dine with Billy Graham," the Charlotte Observer reports. Said son Franklin Graham: "He's followed her career and likes her strong stand on faith. Daddy feels God was using her to wake America up." Graham's son also confirmed his f …
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The Politics of Skin Color
A new study finds that voters perceive a candidate to have lighter skin color when they agree with him on the issues. From the abstract: "For evaluations of Barack Obama, the extent to which people rated lightened photographs as representative of him was positively correlated with their stated …
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Democrats Will Be Hurt If No Health Care Bill Passes
A new Public Policy Polling survey finds the political repercussions for Congressional Democrats of not passing a health care bill could be severe. Democrats currently lead Republicans 46% to 38% on the generic Congressional ballot. But when asked how they would vote if no health care bill is pa …
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Palin Liked by Iowa Republicans
The Des Moines Register Iowa Poll finds Sarah Palin "could expect a lot of support in Iowa's Republican caucuses if she launched a campaign for the 2012 presidential nomination." The first public poll to test Palin's favorabilty in the leadoff nominating state found 55% of all Iowans hold an unfa …
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Palin Well-Liked by Iowa Republicans
The Des Moines Register Iowa Poll finds Sarah Palin "could expect a lot of support in Iowa's Republican caucuses if she launched a campaign for the 2012 presidential nomination." The first public poll to test Palin's favorabilty in the leadoff nominating state found 55% of all Iowans hold an unfa …
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That Was the Easy Vote
The health care debate in the U.S. Senate over the next month will feature the best and worst of politics.Because the weekend party line vote on the health care reform bill gives Democrats "little maneuvering room," the New York Times notes White House and their Congressional allies "are stepping up …
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Moore to Announce Retirement
Rep. Dennis Moore (D-KS), "a Democrat who confounded the GOP by winning six consecutive elections in a heavily Republican district, will not seek re-election next year," the Kansas City Star reports.So far, only eight House Democrats have announced their retirements. In what could be a tough electio …
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Dobbs Considers Bid for Public Office
Now that he's left CNN, Lou Dobbs said he is considering career options including possible runs for the White House or U.S. Senate, Reuters reports.Said Dobbs: "I am ruling nothing out... I have come to no conclusions and no decisions. Do I seek to have some influence on public policy? Absolutely. …
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Trancredo Will Back McInnis for Governor
Top Colorado Republicans began lining up behind gubernatorial hopeful Scott McInnis (R), the Denver Post reports. Josh Penry (R), once a candidate himself, endorsed his former GOP rival at a news conference Sunday. And later today, former Rep. Tom Tancredo (R), who had vowed to run for governor, …
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From Book Tour to Presidential Campaign
The Chicago Tribune notes "it's an old ritual put to an updated use: The traditional author's book tour transformed into a vehicle for setting up to launch a campaign for the White House. Where presidential hopefuls once traveled the country buttering up party bosses and courting county chairmen, to …
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Starbucks Republicans
Interesting point from the Raleigh News & Observer: "North Carolina has maintained the strongest Democratic Party in the South during the past decade by siphoning off moderate Starbucks Republicans."
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Michigan Race for Governor Up for Grabs
A new Denno-Noor poll in Michigan finds Lt. Gov. John Cherry (D) leading the Democratic pack to replace Gov. Jennifer Granholm (D), "but he's generating little enthusiasm among voters." Cherry leads with just 20%, followed by Andy Dillon (D) at 6% and George Perles (D) also at 6%. The GOP race is …
Taegan Goddard's Political Wire
