Taegan Goddard's Political Wire
Political news, polls and buzz
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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 …
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Jenny Sanford Sought Trademark Protection
South Carolina First Lady Jenny Sanford "sought to trademark her name after she was thrust into the national spotlight after her husband, Gov. Mark Sanford, went missing in June and later admitted to an extramarital affair," the Charleston Post & Courier reports. The trademark, "according to …
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Culver Sinking Fast in Iowa
Iowa Gov. Chet Culver's (D) job approval "has fallen to a critical new low, and former Gov. Terry Branstad (R) poses a major potential threat to Culver's re-election," according to a new Iowa Poll. Just 40% of Iowans say they approve of the job the first-term Democrat is doing -- a 10 point drop …
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Graham's Support Tanking in South Carolina?
FITS News reports that two private polls in South Carolina show Sen. Lindsey Graham's (R-SC) "public support is collapsing." Said a consultant: "A chunk of the GOP has always detested him, but in the last month a dam has broken. More Republicans now oppose Sen. Graham than support him. Independe …
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Clinton Not Running for Governor
George Stephanopoulos asked Secretary of State Hillary Clinton if there's truth to the rumors that she's planning a run for governor of New York. CLINTON: No, no, no. That's another one of those stories that never will die and I hope maybe we can put it to rest today. No, I am committed to th …
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Palin's Payback
In a review of Sarah Palin's Going Rogue, the New York Times notes "the most sustained and vehement barbs in this book are directed not at Democrats or liberals or the press, but at the McCain campaign. The very campaign that plucked her out of Alaska, anointed her the Republican vice-presidential n …
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Going Rogue on Facts
The AP fact checks Sarah Palin's new book, Going Rogue, and notes it "reprises familiar claims from the 2008 presidential campaign that haven't become any truer over time." "Ignoring substantial parts of her record if not the facts, she depicts herself as a frugal traveler on the taxpayer's dime, …
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Will Health Care Plan Push Away Independents?
Writing in the Wall Street Journal, pollsters Scott Rasmussen and Douglas Schoen conclude President Obama "has found himself in a false and arguably artificial conundrum on health care, with the two alternatives being his bill with a public option and a trillion-dollar price tag, or no bill at all. …
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The Lessons from 2008
While most of the political book talk is about Sarah Palin, The Audacity to Win by Obama campaign manager David Plouffe debuts this week at #6 on the New York Times bestseller list. It's an extraordinary book that any political junkie, regardless of party affiliation, will love. Highly recommende …
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Why Palin Matters
Jon Meacham: "Her political celebrity is so powerful that it has reduced a large part of the Republican Party to irrationality and civic incoherence. According to Gallup, Republicans are more likely to say they would seriously consider voting for Palin for president (65 percent) than to say she is q …
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Jefferson Sent to Prison
A federal judge sentenced former Rep. William Jefferson (D-LA) to 13 years in prison, "the longest incarceration ever ordered for a former Member of Congress," Roll Call reports. "A federal jury in August found Jefferson guilty of 11 criminal charges, including conspiracy to solicit bribes, money …
Taegan Goddard's Political Wire
