Gov. Christie slams Democrats — and GOP — over spending

From Neil King Jr. of The Wall Street Journal on Feb. 16:

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie came to Washington Wednesday to slam both parties for what he described as their “irresponsible” and “dangerous” game in not addressing the country’s shaky entitlement programs.

The Republican governor accused both the White House and Republicans in Congress of irresponsibility for failing to propose fixes for Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid, all of which face solvency problems in coming years.

“What game is being played here is irresponsible and it’s dangerous,” he told a packed house at the conservative American Enterprise Institute. “We are on the path to ruin.”

In office just over a year, Mr. Christie has gained unusual prominence within Republican ranks as a brash cost-cutter who hasn’t shied from fierce battles with the state’s teachers union and other groups.

A national unknown when he won election in 2009, the former prosecutor is now mentioned as a possible 2012 presidential contender, mainly by conservatives yearning for someone to shake up what they fear will be a lackluster field. Mr. Christie has insisted he has no intention to seek higher office next year.

“What do I have to do outside of threatening to commit suicide to convince people I’m not running?” he told the gathering. He said he was simply not ready to run for president and had plenty of work to do in New Jersey.

“And besides, my wife would kill me,” he said.

Mr. Christie drew laughter when he tossed off his own plan to fix Social Security, which he said was both obvious and shunned as the kiss of death by most politicians.

“We hare going to have to raise the retirement age,” he said. “Uh oh. I said it, and I’m still here. I am not vaporized into the carpet.”

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GOP poised to win Senate

By Dick Morris of Newsmax on Feb. 4:

I know we predicted Republican Senate control in 2010. Republicans did gain seven seats and came within four of winning control. Razor-thin defeats in Colorado and Washington and unexpected thrashings in Nevada and West Virginia proved us wrong.

But this time — honest — we are going to win!

The battlegrounds in 2012 are a lot more red and less blue than in 2010. If we switch seats in North Dakota, Florida, Nebraska, Virginia, and Montana — red states all — we get control by 52-48.

And the way 2012 is shaping up, Republican control is more and more likely.

Start with retirements. Kent Conrad, the North Dakota liberal twin of retired Byron Dorgan, has announced that he won't run again. That seat is a sure GOP pickup.

Jim Webb, D-Va., has raised very little money, speaks with ambivalence about Obama's programs, and has not yet decided whether to run. George Allen's announced challenge to his re-election should cool him off even further and he'll probably drop out. Not a sure pickup but, if the Republican Party nominates Allen — and not some latter day Christine O'Donnell — we should be all right.

Herbert Kohl, the Wisconsin Democratic octogenarian, may also not run. He hasn't raised money but did lend his campaign $1 million to fill up his bank account. But loans can be repaid. Kohl may well retire.

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Obscure ex-lawmaker Adam Hasner could be U.S. Senate race contender

From Adam C. Smith of The St. Petersburg Times on Jan. 31:

Republicans are bracing for a tough 2012 U.S. Senate primary pitting such political heavyweights as a former U.S. senator, a sitting Florida Senate president and the congressman son of a Republican icon.

But to hear a growing number of Republican activists tell it, the candidate to watch is a fellow few Floridians have heard of.

"Absolutely -- it's Adam Hasner,'' said Nancy McGowan, a prominent conservative activist and fundraiser from Jacksonville. "A primary for the most part is determined by the grass roots who look for the leadership they like, and people know Adam as someone who understands public policy, is a tenacious fighter and has the moral courage of his convictions.''

The 41-year-old former state House Majority Leader lacks the statewide profile of Senate President Mike Haridopolos, former U.S. Sen. George LeMieux and U.S. Rep. Connie Mack -- the potential field vying to pick off Sen. Bill Nelson, Florida's only statewide Democratic leader. But for years the Boca Raton lawyer has built a conservative network and in recent weeks he's met with activists, money-raisers and political operatives in every corner of the state.

"I think he'll be a fabulous candidate,'' said Mel Sembler of St. Petersburg, former ambassador and finance chairman of the Republican National Committee. "I've followed his career and have a lot of respect for him. He's got a lot of friends and will have a lot of support.''

Hasner says only that he's seriously looking at running for the 2012 GOP nomination and has heard lots of encouragement.

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President Obama to address gun control soon, aides say

From James Grimaldi and Perry Bacon Jr. of The Washington Post on Jan. 26:

White House officials on Wednesday attempted to quell criticism that President Obama dodged a national debate over guns in his State of the Union address and announced that the president would address the issue soon.

But aides sidestepped questions about when Obama will talk about federal firearms policy or what he would say.

"I wouldn't rule out that at some point the president talks about the issues surrounding gun violence," Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said aboard Air Force One on the way to an event with Obama in Wisconsin. "I don't have a timetable or, obviously, what he would say."

As president, Obama has never delivered substantive remarks on gun policy, one of the most volatile and divisive domestic issues, out of fear of roiling swing voters in rural areas, the Midwest and the South.

But after 19 people were shot in Tucson on Jan. 8, gun-control groups and some lawmakers urged Obama to wade into the issue. Advocates for stricter gun laws expressed dismay that Obama avoided the topic in a national address delivered less than three weeks after the rampage.

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Florida Dems eye Rivera's seat

From Alexander Burns of Politico on Jan. 26:

Florida Democrats are already speaking with candidates who could run to replace freshman GOP Rep. David Rivera, in case the Miami-area lawmaker’s ethics problems balloon into a career-ending scandal.

A Florida Democratic Party official didn’t share names of the possible recruits, but said Democrats were bracing for the possibility that Rivera might not serve out his first term in the House of Representatives.

“Just like leaders in the Republican Party are reportedly making ‘contingency plans’ as Congressman Rivera’s many legal problems grow, Florida Democrats have begun reaching out to potential candidates should Rivera be indicted or resign in disgrace,” said party spokesman Eric Jotkoff, alluding to a POLITICO report that Republicans are preparing for trouble with Rivera.

Rivera is under investigation for a series of financial irregularities, both personal and campaign-related, by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and the Federal Election Commission.

The former state lawmaker received $130,000 in loans – disclosed only after the November elections – from a company managed by his mother and godmother. That company, in turn, received more than $500,000 from a betting concern, Flagler Dog Track, that successfully pushed a referendum allowing slot machines in Miami-Dade County. Rivera backed the Flagler position on slot machines.

The Miami Herald reported earlier this week that a veteran Rivera aide, Alina Garcia, had been subpoenaed in a criminal probe examining Rivera. Garcia denied that report on the record to the Herald.

Rivera hasn’t given the slightest indication that he might abandon his office. But POLITICO reported on Tuesday that Republican “insiders already are drawing contingency plans for a replacement should the freshman lawmaker resign or be forced to step aside.”

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Joe Lieberman to retire in 2012

From Chris Cillizza of The Washington Post on Jan. 18:

Connecticut Sen. Joe Lieberman (I) will not seek a fifth term in 2012, according to two Democratic sources familiar with the decision.

Lieberman's office did not offer any comment on his plans, saying only that he would make an announcement tomorrow in Stamford, Conn. "The Senator's remarks tomorrow will stand on their own," said a Lieberman spokeswoman.

Lieberman will be the second senator who caucuses with Democrats to make public his plans to leave the chamber in the past 24 hours. On Tuesday morning, North Dakota Sen. Kent Conrad said he would not seek a fifth term in 2012.

On the Republican side, Texas Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison announced her retirement last week.

Lieberman's long-awaited decision means an end to a political career that took him from the 2000 Democratic vice presidential nomination to a 2004 Democratic presidential candidacy to a speaking role at the 2008 Republican National Convention in support of Sen. John McCain(R-Ariz.).

Lieberman's increased alienation from the Democratic Party -- primarily over his ardent support for the war in Iraq -- led to his defeat at the hands of cable television executive Ned Lamont in 2006. But Lieberman formed his own independent party and beat Lamont in a general election to win a fourth term.

His numbers among Democrats only declined since that time, however, making it next-to-impossible for Lieberman to run and win as a Democrat in 2012.

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Dave Bitner elected new RPOF chairman

From Kenric Ward of Sunshine State News on Jan. 15:

Looking forward to 2012, and unconcerned about promoting a "Tallahassee insider," Republicans elected David Bitner chairman of the state party on Saturday.

Bitner edged Cox-Roush in a runoff after none of the five candidates attained a majority in the first round of voting. Bitner led the initial tally with 109, followed by Cox-Roush, who garnered 58.

The three other candidates trailed far behind: Joe Gruters, 37; Sid Dinerstein, 16; and Tony DiMatteo, 7.

Bitner prevailed in the runoff as supporters of the second-tier candidates shifted to the Jefferson County state committeeman and former state legislator.

Both Bitner and Cox-Roush encountered anonymous attacks during the campaign, but still finished one-two in the balloting.

In his first act as chairman, Bitner brought his rivals to the podium at the Dolphin Resort at Disney's Epcot, where he applauded "a great team."

"There's unity here. There were no bad people in this race," said Bitner, who also worked several years as a lobbyist in Tallahassee.

Choking with emotion, Bitner said he was "honored" to lead the party.

"We are unified, and we will deliver," Bitner pledged.

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Former Reagan aide trying to entice Rep. Mike Pence into 2012 prez race

From the Associated Press on Jan. 17:

WASHINGTON (AP) — An independent campaign to draw GOP Rep. Mike Pence into the 2012 presidential race is under way, with a veteran of the Reagan White House launching a petition drive on Monday urging him to enter the primary contests.

Ralph Benko, a deputy counsel to Ronald Reagan, announced the America’s President Committee to encourage a Pence-for-president bid. Former Rep. Jim Ryan, R-Kan., is also helping the campaign to collect signatures from conservatives and tea party activists.

“Mike Pence extraordinarily exemplifies the optimistic, pro-growth, pro-job creation Reagan-Kemp wing of the GOP. Grass-roots conservatives, Republicans, the tea party and populists are looking for a man or woman of principle who can champion and unite the newly energized and engaged citizenry,” Benko said. “Mike Pence is the best choice to lead us into a new era of peace and prosperity.”

Jack Kemp, who died in 2009, was a Republican congressman and vice presidential candidate. He was perhaps best known as an economic conservative who advocated low taxes and lowering barriers to supplying goods and services.

Pence, of Indiana, stepped down from his post in the House Republican leadership. He has considered a White House run or perhaps a campaign for governor. One of his party’s strongest advocates for conservative policies, Pence is among the GOP’s most outspoken critics of President Barack Obama.

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Dems up for reelection under pressure to nix health care mandate

From Jason Millman and Alexander Bolton of The Hill on Jan. 5:

Democrats who are nervous about reelection are increasingly ready to consider scrapping the new healthcare law’s provision that forces people to buy health insurance or pay a fine.

Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.), one of President Obama’s closest allies in the Senate, on Wednesday said she would consider scrapping the controversial mandate in favor of a “viable” alternative.

“There’s other ways we can get people into the pool — I hope — other than a mandate, and we need to look at that,” McCaskill said on MSNBC.

McCaskill is facing a tough reelection race in 2012. Three-quarters of Missouri voters opposed the individual mandate in a referendum during the August primary, so her support for the healthcare legislation could become a sticking point for her campaign.

Vulnerable Democratic incumbents are bracing for a bruising debate on healthcare after the House votes on a total repeal of the law next week.

The House repeal bill is expected to pass easily and might pick up some Democratic votes, shifting the political spotlight to centrists in the upper chamber.

House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Fred Upton (R-Mich.) said over the weekend that if House Republicans pass repeal legislation by a large vote, “it will put enormous pressure on the Senate” to follow suit.

Even if a full repeal stalls in the upper chamber, House Republicans will send over piecemeal repeals of controversial provisions, including the mandate.

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Crack that spending nut

Dem campaign chief: Goal is to make Pelosi House Speaker again

From Michael O'Brien of The Hill on Jan. 6:

House Democrats' goal is to make Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) the Speaker of the House again, their campaign chairman said Wednesday evening.

Rep. Steve Israel (N.Y.), the chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC), set his goal as nothing short of winning back control of the House in the 2012 elections.

"We're all trying to win it back," Israel said on MSNBC when asked if it was Democrats' goal of winning back enough seats to make Pelosi, the former Speaker and new minority leader, the next Speaker.

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Trump says he will run for president

From Ronald Kessler of Newsmax on Jan. 3:

Billionaire Donald Trump is telling friends he has decided he will definitely run for president as a Republican.

Trump will make the announcement when his NBC show "The Apprentice" finishes the season in the spring, he is confiding. He has been soliciting recommendations on political advisers, focusing initially on the Iowa caucus and New Hampshire primary. Trump declined to comment.

In October, Trump said on Fox News' "Fox & Friends" and on MSNBC's "Morning Joe" that he was thinking about the possibility of running. In an interview from Scotland, where he has been building a golf course, Trump expanded on his comments to Newsmax, saying that "the world is laughing at us" and the United States is now “a punching bag for the world.”

It is “sad what’s happened to the country,” Trump said. “We’re no longer a respected nation, and we should be the most respected.”

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Republican campaign committee names top 2012 Senate targets

From Jordan Fabian of The Hill on Dec. 29:

The National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) has its eye on five key races it hopes will pave the way for the GOP to take the majority in the upper chamber in 2012.

NRSC Executive Director Ron Jesmer said in an interview with CNN.com published Wednesday that the committee believes there is "fertile ground" for Republican gains in Montana, Virginia, Nebraska, Florida and North Dakota.

Jesmer said that centrist Nebraska Sen. Ben Nelson (D) is in "serious trouble and kind of in a league of his own," and that Senate Budget Committee Chairman Kent Conrad (D-N.D.) also "is in a lot of trouble."

"There are other states where depending on if one candidate runs, there could be some other good challenges," he added.

The official's comments provide an early preview of the GOP's strategy heading into the 2012 Senate campaign, when the party is expected to make further gains on Democrats, potentially taking the majority.

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Jacksonville Tea Party leader namedone of area's newsmakers for 2011

The Financial News and Daily Record on Dec. 27 named Billie Tucker, head of the First Coast Tea Party, one of the 10 most influential Duval County, Fla., citizens of 2011.

Managing editor Kathy Brune Mathis says this about the annual list:

While many people in power will make headlines in 2011, some Duval County business and civic leaders are in positions, by choice or by circumstance, to influence significant events in the coming year.

The Daily Record staff nominated, reviewed, voted and debated a list of dozens of people who are in pivotal civic or business positions and who are expected to tackle significant issues of citywide importance in the coming year.

The top 10 are presented here today, although it’s important to note that many others were strongly considered.

Those chosen are in a specific place of particular relevance to the direction of the city. Their comments and insights will signal directions in business, politics, education and the future of Northeast Florida.

Whether or not you agree with them, you might benefit from knowing their views and plans because they might well affect you.

Here's what the paper says about Tucker:

Billie Tucker, executive director of the First Coast Tea Party, is gearing up her troops for the spring elections and beyond.

The tea party movement across the country strongly influenced the November elections and the First Coast Tea Party is preparing to interview candidates on the local ballot.

An outspoken advocate for tea party principles, Tucker is putting structure to the First Coast Tea Party and setting up committees to keep watch on City, state, federal and school board issues.

Her challenge: “2010 was a year of great wins for the tea party movement. Those wins do not mean we will go away or that our work is done. Because within those great wins came many disappointments. The lame-duck session after our win on Nov. 2 showed us the absolute disregard by our leaders for the desires of the people,” she said.

“We fired them on Nov. 2, yet they kept spending our money, passing legislation to micromanage our lives and gave special deals to their buddies.”

Tucker said that in the private sector, a fired employee is “escorted out the door so they cannot do the company harm. Again, we see government doesn’t work that way and the harm caused by this lame duck will be felt by generations to come.”

Tucker said that attention now turns locally.

“With 2011 just days away, the First Coast Tea Party will turn our attention to finding and electing principled leaders to lead us at the local level. With the many issues facing us as a city, it will take men and women of character and vision who can work together to bring prosperity and jobs back to the First Coast.”

Her personal challenge:

“To keep the good fight going within the tea party movement, balance my life as a wife, mom and grandmother, move my own career to a higher level of performance and satisfaction and grow my faith in the One who sustains me.”

Click here to read the other nine profiles.

Scott hires outsiders to run prison system, emergency management

From Michael C. Bender of the St. Petersburg Times on Dec. 29:

TALLAHASSEE — Gov.-elect Rick Scott looked outside Florida to hire the first two agency heads in his new administration.

Scott announced Monday that Indiana Department of Corrections Commissioner Edwin G. Buss will take over the same agency in Florida, while Bryan W. Koon of Arkansas will head the Florida Division of Emergency Management.

Scott's transition team did not release salary information for either hire.

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Rep. Pence: Tweet your tax return

From James Freeman of The Wall Street Journal on Dec. 1:

A Republican elected official who travelled the country this fall campaigning for GOP candidates reports a clear message from party activists: There is no front-runner for the 2012 nomination. This squares with recent polling data. Despite former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney's name-recognition, money and organization, Republicans are reluctant to back the man who built an ObamaCare prototype in the Bay State.

This means that at least until a former mayor of Wasilla decides whether to run, the door is wide open for conservatives to woo GOP primary voters. Making a particularly strong case this week in a speech to the Detroit Economic Club was Rep. Mike Pence of Indiana. The outgoing chairman of the House Republican Conference, Mr. Pence has not yet announced whether he will run. But on Monday, he stoked conservative interest by sketching out a Reagan-style economic program: sound money, limited government and tax policy that encourages growth.

After criticizing the excessive money creation under Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke, Mr. Pence called for eliminating the Fed's dual mandate to pursue both price stability and full employment. He wants the Fed to focus exclusively on price stability and thinks the U.S. should consider returning to gold in setting the value of the dollar. President Reagan understood that inflation is the thief of the middle class and that investor confidence is destroyed when governments debase the value of their currencies. Mr. Pence apparently understands this, too.

The Indiana congressman also called for limiting federal spending to 20% of GDP, a healthy reduction from the roughly 25% it is consuming in the Obama era. In describing the virtues of a simple flat tax on income, Mr. Pence spoke to a new generation of conservatives when he asked, "How about a system where you could file your taxes on a Blackberry, or a system where you might even be able to file a return with 140 characters or less? How would you like to tweet your taxes?"

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Proposal: Palm Beach County School District to pay fine for election law violations

From Marc Freeman of the Sun-Sentinel on Dec. 2:

The Palm Beach County School District violated state election laws and must pay a $750 fine, but Superintendent Art Johnson won't take the heat for it, according to a proposed settlement agreement.

The agreement would resolve a complaint by conservative political activist Jack Furnari, of Boca Raton, who accused Johnson and the district of distributing political materials to students and employees concerning the School Board's recent voter referendum to continue a special property tax.

"The fine should have been higher, but the school district's admission of guilt is significant," Furnari said. "Local governments have now been put on notice that using taxpayer money to produce political propaganda for any reason is forbidden."

After the Florida Elections Commission agreed last month to investigate the claim, Johnson requested negotiations for a settlement of the case.

The agreement states that the district violated state law by using public funds for a political advertisement in support of the referendum. But the settlement also dismisses the complaint against Johnson "because he did not direct the development of the flier at issue."

It's now up to the School Board to vote Wednesday on accepting the settlement, called a Consent Final Order.

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The dead enders

From The Wall Street Journal on Dec. 1:

'It is not a sensible way to run a country to have this magnitude of tax issues left to annual uncertainty," said Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner earlier this month, and he's certainly right about that. But at the current moment the single biggest obstacle to more certainty is his boss, President Obama, who still refuses to compromise on the tax increase set to whack the economy in a mere 30 days.

After meeting with Congressional leaders yesterday, Mr. Obama dispatched Mr. Geithner and budget director Jacob Lew to negotiate a deal. Yet the President is still holding out against even a temporary extension of the 2001 and 2003 tax rates. Republicans won 63 House seats running against those tax increases, but Mr. Obama still seems under the spell of the dead enders led by soon-to-be-former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

The magnitude of the looming tax increase ought to snap him out of this hypnosis. If the Democrats who still run Capitol Hill for another month fail to act, tens of millions of American households will see their paychecks shrink immediately in the New Year.

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Frustrated Obama sends nation rambling 75,000-word e-mail

From The Onion on Nov. 26:

WASHINGTON—Having admittedly "reached the end of [his] rope," President Barack Obama sent a rambling 75,000-word e-mail to the entire nation Wednesday, revealing deep frustrations with America's political culture, his presidency, U.S. citizens, and himself.

The e-mail, which was titled "A couple things," addressed countless topics in a dense, stream-of-consciousness rant that often went on for hundreds of words without any punctuation or paragraph breaks. Throughout, the president expressed his aggravation on subjects as disparate as the war in Afghanistan, the sluggish economic recovery, his live-in mother-in-law, China's undervalued currency, Boston's Logan Airport, and tort reform.

According to its timestamp, the e-mail was sent at 4:26 a.m.

"Hey Everyone," read the first line of the president's note, which at 27 megabytes proved too large for millions of Americans' in-boxes. "I'm writing to you because I need to clear up some important issues. First and foremost, I want to say that this has nothing to do with the midterm elections because I was going to send an e-mail regardless of the outcome. However, I guess one could argue that, in the end, the midterms are an important measure of a president's overall success, though I wouldn't go so far as to call the results a referendum. Legislatively, I feel I've had a lot of success that I think history will judge quite favorably. I mean, pretty much every modern president has seen his party lose seats during a midterm, you know?

"Anyway," the e-mail continued.

A 150-page printout confirms that while Obama's points are generally cogent in the first quarter of the message, the increasingly chaotic spacing, multiple spelling errors, and near total lack of commas rendered the later portions almost impossible to parse.

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GOP leadership struggle for key panel turns nasty

From Patrick O'Connor and Stephen Power of The Wall Street Journal on Nov. 17:

WASHINGTON—The fight over who should lead the powerful House Energy and Commerce Committee is importing some of the nastiness of the midterm elections to an internecine struggle between a pair of Republicans.

In one corner is Rep. Joe Barton, an unpredictable Texan who was scorned by leaders of both parties earlier this year for apologizing to BP PLC executives during a hearing on the Gulf of Mexico oil spill.

Mr. Barton is pitted against Michigan Rep. Fred Upton, who conservatives regard as too soft because of his support for expanding a state-run health-care program for children and energy-conservation measures like phasing out the 100-watt incandescent light bulb.

Conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh told listeners last week it would be a "tone-deaf disaster" if Republicans let Mr. Upton have the chairmanship, calling it "exactly the kind of nannyism, statism" that was rejected by voters earlier this month.

Mr. Barton is also carrying political baggage beyond the BP gaffe. He requires a waiver from party rules just to seek the chairmanship, since he was the Energy and Commerce panel's chairman when Republicans last controlled the House in 2006, and party rules prohibit any GOP lawmaker from holding the top slot on a committee for more than six years. Mr. Barton and his staff have also clashed with Ohio Rep. John Boehner, the likely next House speaker and one of the GOP leaders who will select the panel's next chairman.

The Energy and Commerce Committee has jurisdiction over critical sectors of the economy, including health care and telecommunications. With Republicans in control, it is expected to be a launching pad for efforts to repeal President Barack Obama's health care law, a top priority for many conservative voters, and for challenges to administration regulatory and energy policies, including efforts by the Environmental Protection Agency to curb greenhouse gases.

Mr. Boehner hasn't tipped his hand on how he and other GOP leaders will resolve the Energy and Commerce contest. But if Mr. Barton fails to secure a waiver, Mr. Upton, 57 years old, is next in line to take over the committee.

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