Taegan Goddard's Political Wire
Political news, polls and buzz
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GOP Bloodbath in Florida?
David Frum says the Republican "fratricide in the Nov. 3 special election in upstate New York may prove just an opening round of an even more spectacular bloodbath in Florida in 2010." "In New York, Republican feuding lost the party a seat in the House of Representatives. At stake in Florida is n …
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Politics in America
Here's a special deal for Political Wire readers: Get the invaluable CQ's Politics in America 2010 for 15% off using the discount code L9PW2.
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The Problem with Palin's Comeback
Marc Ambinder: "The key to making a political comeback is to have somewhere to come back from -- and somewhere to return to. Sarah Palin can't make a comeback because she didn't go anywhere. Not up, not down. Not sideways. Aside from a brief and totally artificial post selection bounce last year, Pa …
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Americans Split on Health Care Reform
A new Washington Post/ABC News poll finds Americans "deeply divided" on the heath care reform proposals before Congress: 48% support the proposed changes while 49% are opposed. "Over the past few months, public opinion has solidified, leaving Obama and the Democrats with the political challenge …
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Lack of Open Seats Complicates GOP Math
"A lack of competitive open-seat House races in 2010 could complicate Republican efforts to fully maximize a favorable national environment and make large seat gains after back-to-back elections where the political winds were blowing in the opposite direction," Roll Call reports. "So far, 18 Memb …
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Newsweek Sexist?
Sarah Palin blasted Newsweek for its cover photo on this week's issue: "The choice of photo for the cover of this week's Newsweek is unfortunate. When it comes to Sarah Palin, this 'news' magazine has relished focusing on the irrelevant rather than the relevant. The Runner's World magazine one-pa …
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Palin Contradicts Herself
"This time, there wasn't a family vote. Other steps in my political life, I've polled the kids, and I have abided by some of the results of the polls that the kids have partaken in. This time, no." -- Sarah Palin, in an interview today with Oprah Winfrey, on deciding to run for vice president. …
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Palin Hints at Possible White House Bid
ABC News got a copy of Sarah Palin's new book and notes she "maintains that she wasn't motivated 'alone' by an ambition to seek higher office when she stepped down as governor of Alaska.Palin suggests, however, that her resignation has left her in a strong position to run for president by touting …
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Huckabee Blasts Obama on Terror Trials
In an interview with WDBO-AM, Mike Huckabee said the Obama administration's decision to try terror suspects in New York City would be an issue in the 2012 presidential campaign. Said Huckabee: "Well, I think it's absurd, and I think the Obama administration will be as much on trail as Khalid Shei …
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Unfortunate Pairing
If you visit the page for Sarah Palin's book on Amazon.com, it says "Buy Going Rogue: An American Life and get Catastrophe at an additional 5% off."
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Biden Moves Ahead of Castle in Delaware
A new Susquehanna Polling & Research poll in Delaware finds Attorney General Beau Biden (D) leading Rep. Mike Castle (R) by five points, 45% to 40%. In April, Castle led by 21 points.According to the pollster, the shift "may be a result of negative publicity [Castle] received in the state after …
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Still Waiting on the CBO
A Senate leadership aide tells NBC News that "it's highly unlikely Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid will have cost estimate today from the Congressional Budget Office for his health-care bill."
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McCain Asks Staffers to Stay Quiet
NBC News reports that Sen. John McCain "has specifically asked his former aides not to do interviews rebutting Palin's charges in her book -- to avoid escalating the feud between her and the campaign staff. Most are complying with his wishes, hoping it will die down." But one key player targeted …
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Harkin Says Senate Will Work Weekends
Sen. Tom Harkin (D-IA) said that the Senate will work every weekend in December to pass the health care reform bill by Christmas, The Hill reports. "Harkin said Democrats expect Republicans will try to stall the debate by asking for the entire bill to be read on the Senate floor. If that happens, …
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Paterson Runs Behind Everyone
A new Siena poll of New York voters finds that Gov. David Paterson (D) trails Attorney General Andrew Cuomo (D) by nearly 60 points in a potential Democratic primary, trails former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani (R) by more than 20 points, and for the first time trails former Rep. Rick Lazio by t …
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The Lloyd's Prayer
From an email making its way around Wall Street this morning:Our Chairman,Who Art At Goldman,Blankfein Be Thy Name.The Rally's Come. God's Work Be DoneOn Earth As There's No Fear Of Correction.Give Us This Day Our Daily Gains,And Bankrupt Our CompetitorsAs You Taught Lehman and Bear Their Lessons.An …
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Obama Goes Silent
CQ Politics notes that since President Obama landed on five Sunday news programs on September 20 -- amid a great clamor that he was overexposing himself -- the president has infrequently taken questions in public The president's last full-dress U.S. press conference was nearly four months ago, a …
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An Uphill Climb for Palin
The buildup to her new book hasn't eased Sarah Palin's political challenges as she weighs a presidential bid in 2012: Just over half of Americans in a new ABC News/Washington Post poll have an unfavorable opinion of her overall, as many say they wouldn't consider supporting her for president and mor …
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Beneath the Congressional Favorability Numbers
"It's a commonly accepted fact that Congressional Democrats are unpopular but Congressional Republicans are even more unpopular," Tom Jensen writes. "That's true but it shouldn't be taken as an indication that Democrats are going to be fine in 2010 because there's a pretty significant group of th …
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A Fresh Look at the Political Twitterati
In just a few short months, Twitter has become a necessary tool for anyone interested in politics and government. But unless you find the right people to follow, it can be hard to make the most of it. For all you Twitter geeks, Twiangulate, a new Twitter analysis tool, debuts this morning. It's d …
Taegan Goddard's Political Wire
