Thursday, October 19, 2006
CNN Political Ticker AM
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Compiled by Stephen Bach CNN Washington Bureau Making news today... "Ned, you're a businessman like me, what do we tell this guy?" asked GOP candidate Alan Schlesinger. "It's time to go," [Ned] Lamont replied. "You're fired," Schlesinger said. Lieberman "could only stand silently as laughter and applause rippled through the Belding Theater," reports the Hartford Courant. President's Schedule: At 2 pm ET, Bush stumps at a Don Sherwood-Pennsylvania Victory Committee Reception at Keystone College in La Plume, PA. At 5:40 pm ET, Bush will attend a Friends of George Allen Reception at the Science Museum of Virginia in Richmond. Also on the Political Radar today: The New York Times reported Wednesday, "few accounts are more crucial than Mr. Trandahl's in determining whether Republican leaders acted with enough urgency." Roll Call reports today Trandahl's testimony "could prove to be the turning point in the investigation." ================================================================= Political Hot Topics (Today's top political stories from news organizations across the country) NEW CNN POLL FINDS HALF BELIEVE MOST IN CONGRESS ARE CORRUPT: Half of all Americans believe most members of Congress are corrupt -- a figure that has risen 12 points since the start of the year -- and more than a third even think their own representatives are crooked, according to a new poll released Thursday by CNN. According to the poll, a majority disapproves of how either party is handling its job in Congress. Just 42 percent approve of how the Democrats in Congress, and the GOP fares even worse -- only 36 percent approve of the Republicans in congress are handling their job. In January, 22 percent of those polled said they believed their own member of Congress was corrupt -- a number that has jumped to 36 percent since then. And dissatisfaction with Congress is high, with 54 percent disapproving of how Democrats are handling their job and 61 giving Republicans unfavorable marks. The Ticker: Half think most members of Congress are corrupt VOTERS PREFER DEMS 52-37 IN NEW NBC NEWS/WSJ POLL: Just 20 days until Election Day, the latest NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll finds approval of the GOP-held Congress is at its lowest mark in 14 years, the Republican Party's favorability rating is at an all-time low and President George W. Bush's approval rating remains mired in the 30s -- all ominous signs for a party trying to maintain control of Congress. In fact, according to the poll, Republicans are in worse shape on some key measures than Democrats were in 1994, when they lost their congressional majorities... 52 percent say they prefer a Democratic-controlled Congress, compared with 37 percent who want Republicans to maintain power. It is the first time ever in this poll when a majority has sided with one party on this particular question. NBC News: Big Democratic wins likely on Election Day MORE POLL RESULTS (pdf via MSNBC.com) BUSH SAYS TOM FRIEDMAN "COULD BE RIGHT" ON IRAQ-VIETNAM COMPARISON: President Bush said in a one-on-one interview with ABC News' George Stephanopoulos that a newspaper column comparing the current fighting in Iraq to the 1968 Tet offensive in Vietnam, which was widely seen as the turning point in that war, might be accurate. Stephanopoulos asked whether the president agreed with the opinion of columnist Tom Friedman, who wrote in The New York Times today that the situation in Iraq may be equivalent to the Tet offensive in Vietnam almost 40 years ago. "He could be right," the president said, before adding, "There's certainly a stepped-up level of violence, and we're heading into an election." ABC News: Bush Accepts Iraq-Vietnam Comparison REPUBLICANS "BARELY MENTIONING IRAQ ON THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL": Four months ago, the White House offered a set of clear political directions to Republicans heading into the midterm elections: embrace the war in Iraq as critical to the antiterrorism fight and belittle Democrats as advocates of a "cut and run" policy of weakness. With three weeks until Election Day, Republican candidates are barely mentioning Iraq on the campaign trail and in their television advertisements. Even President Bush, continuing to attack Democrats for opposing the war, has largely dropped his call of "stay the course" and replaced it with a more nuanced promise of flexibility. It is the Democrats who have seized on Iraq as a central issue. In debates and in speeches, candidates are pummeling Republicans with accusations of a failed war. New York Times: Tables Turned for the G.O.P. Over Iraq Issue McCAIN: "I THINK I'D JUST COMMIT SUICIDE" IF DEMS WIN IN NOVEMBER: U.S. Sen. John McCain answered with some dark humor when asked today what he would do if Democrats gain control of the House and Senate. "I think I'd just commit suicide," he said with a smile. "I don't want to face that eventuality because I don't think it's going to happen," he added. The Arizona Republican appeared at a Des Moines country club with congressional candidate Jeff Lamberti of Ankeny and U.S. Rep. Tom Latham, R-Iowa. McCain said he is working hard to help Republicans running for Congress. "I think we have a very challenging election. I think we're going to work very hard in the next three weeks getting our message out," he said. Quad-City Times: McCain doesn't think Democrats will take over Congress in upcoming elections GET READY FOR SOME HEADACHES AT THE POLLS: As dozens of states are enforcing new voter registration laws and switching to paperless electronic voting systems, officials across the country are bracing for an Election Day with long lines and heightened confusion, followed by an increase in the number of contested results. In Maryland, Mississippi and Pennsylvania, a shortage of technicians has vendors for new machines soliciting applications for technical support workers on job Web sites like Monster.com... Arizona, California, Georgia, Indiana, Maryland, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, Ohio and Pennsylvania are among the states considered most likely to experience difficulties, according to voting experts who have been tracking the technology and other election changes. New York Times: New Laws and Machines May Spell Voting Woes GOP WORRIED ABOUT TURNOUT: The Republican Party can stave off defeat with a strong turnout on Nov. 7, party leaders are telling the faithful -- but they are finding it tough to sell that message to some disillusioned conservative voters. "The message hasn't gotten across because a lot of people are sick and tired of thinking the only reason for going to the polls is to vote for the Republicans because they are lesser of two evils," said Tom McClusky, vice president for government affairs at the Family Research Council (FRC), a leading social conservative group. Washington Times: Conservative voters likely to stay home LUNTZ ON GOP PROSPECTS... "THINGS LOOK VERY BAD FOR THEM NOW": Over the last two months, the number of House Republican seats in serious contention has jumped week by week, giving Democrats an ever-bigger target to shoot at in their quest for a majority. Even a top Republican strategist estimates that the number of highly vulnerable Republican seats has more than doubled in recent weeks - and now far exceeds the 15 seats Democrats need to pick up to win a House majority. "Things look very bad for them now," GOP pollster Frank Luntz said of Republican prospects. "There used to be 15 races that were vulnerable, then it was 20…. Today you'd say 35 seats are in play." In the battle for the Senate, prospects for Democrats to pick up the six seats they need to win control are brighter than they were a few months ago. Los Angeles Times: Inroads Into GOP Country TRANDAHL TO TESTIFY: Former House Clerk Jeff Trandahl repeatedly raised red flags about former Rep. Mark Foley years before GOP leaders said they knew about Foley's inappropriate conduct with pages, sources said. Trandahl's lawyers said he is scheduled to testify Thursday before the House Ethics Committee, which is investigating the Foley case. Two sources close to Trandahl told CNN that he had been monitoring Foley's interaction with pages after being told of troubling behavior by the congressman in the House cloakroom and elsewhere. Trandahl took his concerns to Kirk Fordham, Foley's former chief of staff, many times, the sources said. CNN: Sources: House clerk warned GOP about Foley years ago "STAR ATTRACTION" TODAY COULD BE "TURNING POINT FOR THE INVESTIGATION": In what could prove to be the turning point in the investigation of former Rep. Mark Foley's (R-Fla.) interaction with House pages - and what Speaker Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.) and his staff did or did not know about it - the House ethics committee will take testimony today on the Foley case from former House Clerk Jeff Trandahl. House Majority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) will also appear before the panel today - voluntarily and unaccompanied by counsel - but Trandahl is expected to be the star attraction. Roll Call: Ethics to Hear Key Testimony FOLEY TURNS OVER PRIEST'S NAME: Attorneys for Mark Foley said Wednesday that they turned over the name of the priest who allegedly abused the former congressman to the Palm Beach County State Attorney's Office. The priest who Foley says molested him decades ago is still alive but has left the United States, according to a joint statement by Foley's attorneys, Gerald Richman and David Roth. The Palm Beach County State Attorney's Office got the name after business hours Wednesday, Richman said. He declined to publicly reveal the priest's identity, saying that decision was now up to the State Attorney. Palm Beach Post: Foley team gives prosecutor priest's name BILL HITS GOP FOR FAVORING RICH: Bill Clinton ripped the Bush administration and leaders in Congress yesterday as narrow-minded, extremist drones bent only on helping their rich pals. Speaking at a conference dubbed "Securing the Common Good: A Vision for America," the ex-President seemed to suggest the best way to achieve that was by booting those Republicans in favor of Democrats. "Striving for the common good, for me, stands in stark contrast to both the political and governing philosophy of the leadership in Washington today," Clinton said. "Where most 'common-good' folks favor equal opportunity and empowerment, they [GOP leaders] believe the country is best served by the maximum concentration of wealth and power in the hands of the right people," he said. New York Daily News: Bill says W & pals only care for rich BLACK REPUBLICAN GROUP STRIKES A NERVE WITH "MLK WAS A REPUBLICAN" AD: When a black conservative group ran a radio ad proclaiming that the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. was a Republican, reaction was swift. "We've gotten some e-mails and telephone calls filled with vitriol," said Frances Rice, chairman of the National Black Republican Association. "They've called me Aunt Jemima, a sellout, a traitor to my race." In the battle for the black electorate, liberals, who make up the overwhelming majority of black voters, have long disagreed with conservatives over ideology, public policy and economic strategies to better the lives of African Americans. But when conservatives placed the civil rights movement in a Republican context, black liberals said, they crossed a line. Washington Post: Controversial Ad Links MLK, GOP SWEENEY IN SPOTLIGHT FOR MARIANA ISLANDS TRIP: Amid sharp criticism from Democrats and labor unions, U.S. Rep. John Sweeney sought guidance from the House [Ethics] Committee Wednesday on how he should handle the reporting of his 2001 trip to a Pacific island in the company of a now-convicted lobbyist. In a letter released by the Clifton Park Republican's office, Sweeney said he traveled to the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands with "the understanding" that the trip was paid for by the CNMI government... The congressman never reported the trip to the islands, a U.S. territory whose government was a major client of convicted Washington, D.C., influence peddler Jack Abramoff. Members of Congress do not have to report travel paid for by the U.S. government, but privately funded trips must be disclosed within 30 days. Albany Times-Union: Sweeney asks for clarity on rules TOUGH NIGHT FOR LIEBERMAN AS OPPONENTS TEAM UP IN HARTFORD: Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman had no friends on a crowded stage Wednesday, assailed from the left and right for asserting he can be a force for change after 18 years in Washington. At the only debate to feature the entire five-man U.S. Senate field, Lieberman stood at the center lectern, often the target of rapid-fire exchanges over a fast-moving hour. In his closing remarks, Republican Alan Schlesinger teamed up with Democrat Ned Lamont to question how Lieberman would fare in "the real world" if he told his boss he couldn't fix something in 18 years. "What do you think your boss is going to tell you?" Schlesinger asked Lieberman. Then Schlesinger turned to Lamont. "Ned, you're a businessman like me, what do we tell this guy?" "It's time to go," Lamont replied. "You're fired," Schlesinger said. Hartford Courant: Lieberman Takes Heat IRAQ COULD COST SHAYS HIS SEAT: During his 19 years in Congress, Republican Rep. Chris Shays has been seen as a good fit for this district of wealthy suburbs north of New York City, from his penny loafers and Brooks Brothers shirts to his support of President Bush's tax cuts and his more liberal stands on abortion, gun control and the environment. But Shays' chances for re-election have eroded steadily over one issue: Iraq. While the veteran lawmaker has steadfastly defended the war since the U.S.-led invasion in 2003, his constituents have grown increasingly opposed to the war and its costs in dollars and lives. Shays, in a recent interview, acknowledged his support for the war could cost him his seat. "It wouldn't be a close election if it wasn't for Iraq," he said. "I have one of the most anti-war districts in the country." San Francisco Chronicle: Anti-war mood could unseat GOP stalwart INDICTED BLAGOJEVICH ADVISER SCHEDULE TO APPEAR IN COURT: After missing his first two federal court hearings last week because of his international travel, Antoin "Tony" Rezko is expected in court Thursday to be arraigned in at least one of the fraud cases against him. Sources said there was some indication Wednesday that Rezko, a businessman and top fundraiser for Gov. Rod Blagojevich, would arrive as scheduled at the Dirksen U.S. Courthouse, but they declined to elaborate. Rezko is scheduled to be arraigned at 10:30 a.m. before U.S. District Judge James B. Zagel... An indictment was unsealed against Rezko last week, charging him with trying to extort millions of dollars from investment firms seeking to do business with the state by leveraging his relationships with high-ranking officials. A second indictment charged Rezko of fraudulently obtaining a $10 million loan for the sale of his pizza business through a straw buyer and retaining ownership. He is scheduled to be arraigned on that charge Thursday. Chicago Tribune: Blago's indicted fundraiser due in court again ROMNEY TEAM "QUIETLY CONSULTED" WITH MORMON LEADERS: Governor Mitt Romney's political team has quietly consulted with leaders of the Mormon Church to map out plans for a nationwide network of Mormon supporters to help Romney capture the presidency in 2008, according to interviews and written materials reflecting plans for the initiative. Over the past two months, Romney's political operatives and church leaders have discussed building a grass-roots political organization using alumni chapters of Brigham Young University's business school around the country. More recently, representatives of BYU, which is run by the church, and Romney's political action committee have begun soliciting help from prominent Mormons, including a well-known author suggested by the governor, to build the program, which Romney advisers dubbed Mutual Values and Priorities, or MVP. The president and prophet of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Gordon B. Hinckley, has been made aware of the effort and expressed no opposition, the documents show, and at least one other top church official has played a more active role. Boston Globe: Romney camp consulted with Mormon leaders |
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• Bush promotes education in visit to N.C.• Ad of the day • Independent groups increase advertising • NRCC Chairman not conceding midterm elections • Allen gets African-American paper endorsement • Clinton urges Dems to question criticism • Ahead on CNN • Rep. Alexander: 'Many people' knew about Foley • Allen campaign ties Webb to 'Clinton political mac... • AP: Burns says president keeping war plan quiet SUBSCRIBE
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