No, Newt Is Not Going To Jail For Bolton Comment
Bachmann Loves Vaccines After All
Gay Troops To Perry:
Get Your Facts Straight
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Bam!
Warren jumps ahead of Brown in new Massachusetts Senate poll. 49%-42%.
The poll has a relatively small sample size: 505 registered voters. But it's a 10 point swing from the last time this pollster (UMass-Lowell/Princeton Survey Research) sampled this race. And it's in line with the trend in Warren's direction.
Just as importantly, this race is crystalizing the core issues the 2012 cycle looks set to turn on -- finance vs. main street, wealth and income inequality, the pros and cons of survival of the fittest economics.
If Warren can get traction against Brown with her unalloyed version of this message, that will cast a shadow over as yet unformed races across the nation.
Mitt: Release the Hounds!!!
Ready to go nuclear?
Mitt Romney's press office just sent out word that tomorrow morning two Mitt surrogates, former Gov. John Sununu and former Sen. Jim Talent, will hold a press conference call to "discuss Speaker Gingrich's record."
The Decline of the Early States, Pt. #2
Is national digital and broadcast media creating an undifferentiated, national polarized politics? TPM Reader PH checks in from Wyoming ...
Read More →Nope, No Slammer for Newt
Sorry, USAToday, Newt ain't going to jail for saying he'd appoint John Bolton Secretary of State.
Yet More Mitt Health Care Contortions
Romney's contortions over his health care problem have been numerous. But today was particularly unkind to him. Benjy Sarlin details why here and here.
Change Newt Can Believe In
Newt's speech to the Republican Jewish Coalition went down a storm. His biggest applause line? When he promised to appoint John Bolton as Secretary of State. Yes, really.
UPDATE: Looks like this comes as a bit of a shock to Bolton himself.
Images of the Day
Images of Pearl Harbor -- 70 years ago today.
The Decline of the Early States
One of the recurrent discussions in this, as in other primary cycles, is that this or that candidate may be doing great nationally but they have barely shown their face in Iowa or New Hampshire. Or they're doing great but they don't even have an office open in this or that early state. If Mitt Romney wraps this up quickly we'll probably reason that in-state organization and time on the ground played a key role in his victory, not withstanding inconstant polls.
But as I've watched this cycle unfold, I've wondered whether changes in the media landscape have finally changed the equation between individual states and the national campaign.
Here's what I'm talking about.
Read More →Newt to Enter Megalomania Olympics
Newt's latest: Mitt should thank me for creating the capitalism that made him rich. Watch.
December 7th, 1941
The day that will live in infamy -- seventy years on.
Not Just Newt
Newt Gingrich isn't the only guy drawing political blood from Mitt Romney. Democratic attacks are playing an important role dragging Romney down.
Occupy the Press Releases
Late Tuesday evening, a press release went out to numerous political journalists with stunning news. Mega-union SEIU had voted to withdraw its recently bestowed endorsement of Barack Obama. That's certainly not unimaginable -- SEIU often takes its own path and has a conflicted relationship with the Democratic party establishment.
Only it wasn't true.
It was a pretty real looking hoax press release that managed to snare a number of reporters who posted the news on twitter.
Mark McCullough, the real one not faux "Mark McCullough", the guy who sent out the fake press release, confirmed to TPM that the announcement was a hoax. We're told SEIU (no bizarro endorsement-retracting "SEIU") will be issuing a statement shortly.
Cuz He Ain't No Dummy
Rove gets to work trying to avert the Newt nomination catastrophe.
Today's Tempest in a Teapot
During the president's speech today someone somewhere decided he'd said the average income of people in the 1% was $27 million, wildly higher than it actually is, which is a bit over $1.2 million a year. Only he didn't say that. He said that was the income of the top 100th of the 1%.
Read More →The Big Speech
If you click here now you can see the tail end of President Obama's speech this afternoon. But if you missed it you should read the transcript. Because it's clear that this is the 'big speech' that will be the reference point for President Obama's reelection campaign going forward till next November.
Huntsman Flips on Climate Change
Heretofore the rare Republican who credits the scientific consensus behind human-driven climate change, today went wobbly. Now he says that scientists need to come up with more evidence.
Watch Obama's Big Speech Live
At this moment, President Obama is giving a major speech in the Kansas town where Teddy Roosevelt introduced the 'New Nationalism' over a century ago. Watch.
New Newt Watch
Lots of former House Republican colleagues are coming forward and giving bracingly negatives reads of the Speaker Gingrich they knew in the 1990s. But not now-Sen. Lindsey Graham (R), who was at the center of the failed coup to topple Newt in 1997. Graham says he sees signs of a new, more 'subtle' Newt.
Always Ends This Way
Medford, New Jersey Mayor Chris Myers (R) has resigned after being ensnared in a scandal tied to the male escort site Rentboy.com.
It's Not Personal; It's Business
Are you interested in building a career in digital publishing? There's no better place than TPM to learn the ropes. We're taking applications for our first publishing side internship. Get the details on applying on our jobs and internships page; scroll down to "Publishing Internship."
Jon Huntsman: I'm Back On The Side Of Science
A day after he said there’s more research to be done on climate change, Jon Huntsman is back to siding with the scientists.
Tim Kaine, George Allen Face Off In Senate Debate
It’s 11 months until Election Day—but in the open Senate race in of Virginia, the gloves are already coming off.
Most Recent Latest news stories from TPM reporters
At Durban, Tensions Flare While Climate Burns
EMILY GERTZ At the 17th annual U.N. climate summit in Durban, South Africa, European officials are exasperated with the negotiating impasse created by the United States and China. "What is really frustrating to see is this conference is again hijacked by the Ping-Pong game between the U.S. and China," said Joe Lien, chairman of the European Parliament's delegation at the talks, the New York Times reported Wednesday.Dems Ding Romney For 'Multiple Personality Disorder'
As TPM reported earlier, the Democrats have been having a field day attacking Mitt Romney already, and they think their jabs are starting to draw some blood. They've got a new one coming that moves somewhat beyond the standard "flip-flopper" line and delineates the various identities Romney has worn over the years. Here's the list: The Unabashed Social Liberal: When he ran for the Senate in 1994, he was an unabashed social liberal - proclaiming to be more of a champion for gay rights and a woman's...Jon Huntsman: I'm Back On The Side Of Science
A day after he said there's more research to be done on climate change, Jon Huntsman is back to siding with the scientists. But he's also saying that there's a segment of scientific "ambiguity" on climate change where "discussions continue." In other words, he's gone from flip-flopping to speaking out of both sides of his mouth. Let's review the three phases of Huntsman on climate change. 1. Slayer of skeptics: Up until extremely recently, Huntsman was attacking his opponents for having any doubtsTime...AT&T; Vows To Keep Pursuing T-Mobile Merger
(Reuters) - AT&T Inc (T.N) plans to forge ahead with its deal to buy Deutsche Telekom's (DTEGn.DE) U.S. wireless unit despite fierce regulatory opposition, and it has the financial resources to close the acquisition quickly, a top executive said on Wednesday. ...No, Newt Is Not Going To Jail For Saying He Would Appoint John Bolton
USA Today published a story claiming that Newt Gingrich broke the law when he said during the Republican Jewish Coalition GOP debate on Wednesday that he would appoint John Bolton, the former ambassador to the UN, as Secretary of State. The story has been picked up by several other outlets. However, those claims are false. Newt's comment was, "If he will accept it, I will ask John Bolton to be Secretary of State." The basis for calling this illegal is Title 18, Part I, Chapter 29, Section 599 of the...'BlackBerry 10' Moniker Born Out of Lawsuit
Former smartphone king Research in Motion, the creator of the popular BlackBerry line of devices, has been having a tough go of its business lately. The latest blow: A federal judge in New Mexico on Tuesday ruled to temporarily block RIM from using the name "BBX" for its new operating system across the globe, after a trademark infringement claim was filed by Basis International Ltd, an Albuquerque-based software company that has marketed its own product under the name "BBX" since 1985, the Wall Street...Michele Bachmann Loves Vaccines After All
Michele Bachman, who was condemned as an anti-vaccination conspiracy theorist after suggesting that Gardasil causes "mental retardation," said Wednesday that she was in fact a big supporter of vaccines. Not only that, she thinks there are too many regulations on them. Bachmann told a gathering of the Republican Jewish Coalition in Washington that cures for polio and other diseases "literally changed the course of history and this was good." Until the government got in the way, that is: "[T]he problem...Smackdown In The Old Dominion: Kaine And Allen Hold Senate Debate
It's 11 months until Election Day -- but in the open Senate race in the swing state of Virginia, the gloves are already coming off, with presumptive Democratic nominee Tim Kaine and presumptive Republican nominee George Allen facing off Wednesday in a very heated debate, hosted by the Richmond Times Dispatch and other state media outlets. During the debate, Kaine (a former governor and DNC chairman) pitched himself as a moderate political leader, mentioning frequently that he cut state spending by $5...Daily Show Hijacks Rick Scott Presser: Prove You're Not On Drugs By Peeing In This Cup
Daily Show correspondent Aasif Mandvi interrupted a press conference by Florida Gov. Rick Scott (R) to ask him to prove to the state taxpayers that he's not on drugs by peeing in a cup. "You benefit from hundreds of thousands of taxpayer dollars every year, so would you be willing to pee into this cup to prove to Florida taxpayers that you're not on drugs, that you're not using that money for drugs?'' Mandvi asked. Scott replied that he's "done it plenty of times." Mandvi then tried to pass a cupMiami ...Michigan Dem Gets Probation For Fake Tea Party Scheme
A former official in the Oakland County Democratic Party in Michigan was sentenced to one year probation for his part in a scheme last fall to split the Republican vote by putting fake Tea Party candidates on the ballot. In October, former chairman of the Oakland County Democrats Michael McGuinness pleaded no contest to the charges, which involved perjury and forgery. He was sentenced Wednesday to "one-year probation, 180 hours of community service and $1,965 in fines," according to the Detroit News. ...CNN/TIME Polls: Gingrich Skyrockets In First Four Primary States
Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich has taken a double digit lead in the national Republican primary since the fall of businessman Herman Cain. But he's also moved to the front of the pack in the first primary states, and is even closing on former Mass. Gov. Mitt Romney in New Hampshire, the longtime stronghold of the former Massachusetts Governor. The new CNN/TIME polls show Gingrich with a 13 point lead among Iowa GOP caucus-goers and a 23 point lead in both the South Carolina and Florida primaries. In ...Bachmann: Occupy Wall Street Is 'The Obama Re-election Team'
Michele Bachmann tried to tie the Occupy Wall Street protests as tightly to the White House as possible in a speech Wednesday, referring to them as "the Obama re-election team." "They want other people to pay for their stuff, that doesn't work in the United States of America," she told the Republican Jewish Coalition in Washington, DC. "We are here to Occupy America." It's an odd choice of words, given that Obama's actual re-election team members have gone to lengths to distance themselves from the...Gay Servicemembers Tell Rick Perry To Get His Facts Straight Before Running Ads That Slam Them
Rick Perry's new ad attacking the repeal of Don't Ask, Don't Tell is drawing fire from a group that advocates for gay servicemembers. In a what appears to be a rather blatant attempt to bolster his standing among social conservatives in Iowa less than a month before the Jan. 3 caucuses, Perry went up with an ad Wednesday that pushed just about as many buttons with the evangelical crowd as is conceivable in 30 seconds.FBI Tries To Reassure Muslims It's Taking Training Material Issue Seriously
FBI representatives met once again with Muslim and Arab-American leaders at Bureau headquarters on Monday to update them on the progress they have made to rid their counterterrorism training programs of anti-Muslim material. One participant described the meeting, organized by FBI's Community Relations Division, as "lengthy and positive." "They have concrete plans in place, and if they do move forward with them and they do set out and do what they said they'll do, it will be a positive," Abed Ayoub of...Condemnation Of Newt's Ethics Violations Was Anything But Partisan
Newt Gingrich defended his $300,000 fine for ethics violations while Speaker of the House in 1997, telling the Republican Jewish Coalition on Wednesday that the investigation was partisan. But the vote to condemn his behavior was anything but partisan at the time. Gingrich took a question from an audience member on whether his ethics problem would be a campaign issue for Democrats. "Well, I think Nancy Pelosi in the last two days has done a lot to answer it," he said, a reference to comments made...Bolton Doesn't Leap At Newt's Secretary Of State Offer
Newt Gingrich said he'd nominate former Bush administration UN Ambassador John Bolton as his Secretary of State Wednesday. It doesn't appear that Bolton is ready to sign on. Asked by TPM to respond to Gingrich's speech at the Republican Jewish Coalition Candidate Forum in Washington where he said flatly that Bolton would be his choice to run the nation's foreign policy, Bolton's office declined to say if he'd accept the appointment, if he's discussed it with Gingrich or whether or not he's endorsing...Romney Not Really Sure How He'd Legally Stop Obamacare
Pressed by a newspaper editorial board on how he could legally block Obamacare from taking effect as president, Mitt Romney said they should talk to his lawyer for further details. Romney has pledged to issue waivers to every state to get them out of the Affordable Care Act's requirements, which he told the Washington Examiner on Wednesday would help delay the bill's implementation while he tried to repeal it in Congress. "The American people don't want it, I don't want it, and we'll repeal it," he...Mitt Romney: I Wouldn't Recommend Romneycare To States, Either
Mitt Romney has long maintained that he'd never impose his Massachusetts health care law on the nation, no matter how great he thinks it is, but now he's warning states against enacting it themselves. Romney's latest remarks came after a question from the Washington Examiner's Byron York in an editorial meeting, who asked how many other states should adopt the law. "In its entirety, not very many," Romney replied. "Because it's not even perfect for Massachusetts. At the time we created it, I vetoed ...Dot XXX Domains Available For Anyone
In case you missed it, you can now purchase your very own ".xxx" web address. On Tuesday, web addresses under the newest and raciest specific top-level domain went on sale to the general public for $79 and up, depending on which of the 64 authorized registar companies you buy from. You can check the availability of such web addresses, and all of the authorized companies here (SFW). In the first day alone, some 55,367 new domains were registered, according to the new domain's Twitter account. Meant...Newt: I Will Nominate John Bolton For Secretary Of State (VIDEO)
Well here's a tangible difference between a Newt Gingrich administration and a second term for President Obama if ever there was one. In Washington Wednesday, Gingrich told a crowd at the Republican Jewish Coalition forum that he'd nominate former Bush administration UN envoy John Bolton as Secretary of State. Yes, that John Bolton. In his speech, Gingrich took aim at Obama's State Department, claiming under the command of Hillary Clinton it's become an agency focused on "appeasing our opponents." ...Editor & Publisher
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