NRCC adds 16 top targets

NRCC Picks New Young Guns
By Reid Wilson The NRCC is spotlighting 16 new top recruits it hopes will make up an increasingly large freshman class in the 112th Congress. Those Candidates are the latest entrants to the roster of Young Guns, recruits who have met specific Fundraising, volunteer recruiting and media relations benchmarks. Some, like VA State Sen. Robert Hurt , running against Rep. Tom Perriello (D), and Corning Mayor Tom Reed (R), running for ex-Rep. Eric Massa 's (D-NY) seat, are among the party's most...

House Roll Call: Vote on financial overhaul bill
The 237-192 roll call Wednesday by which the House passed a sweeping overhaul of Financial Regulations. A "yes" vote is a vote to pass the bill. Voting yes were 234 Democrats and 3 Republicans. Voting no were 19 Democrats and 173 Republicans. X denotes those not voting. There are two vacancies in the 435-member House. Alabama Democrats - Bright, N; Davis, Y. Republicans - Aderholt, N; Bachus, N; Bonner, N; Griffith, N; Rogers, N. Alaska Republicans - Young, X. Arizona Democrats - Giffords, Y;...

House Roll Call: Vote on financial overhaul bill
The 237-192 roll call Wednesday by which the House passed a sweeping overhaul of Financial Regulations. A "yes" vote is a vote to pass the bill. Voting yes were 234 Democrats and 3 Republicans. Voting no were 19 Democrats and 173 Republicans. X denotes those not voting. There are two vacancies in the 435-member House. Alabama Democrats -- Bright, N; Davis, Y. Republicans -- Aderholt, N; Bachus, N; Bonner, N; Griffith, N; Rogers, N. Alaska Republicans -- Young, X. Arizona Democrats --...

POLITICAL HOT TOPICS: Thursday, July 1, 2010
From CNN's Leslie Bentz The CNN Washington Bureau's morning speed read of the top stories making news from around the country and the world. Washington/POLITICAL For the latest political news: www.CNNPolitics.com CNNMoney: House OKs Wall Street Reform Bill The House voted 237-192 Wednesday to pass a sweeping package of Reforms to the Financial regulatory system, moving the Bill a step closer to the finish line. But the Senate isn't likely to take up the measure until the week of July...

Why The GOP Waded Into A Contested Primary
By Reid Wilson The NRCC raised eyebrows on Monday by taking sides in a contested Primary, elevating one contender to the highest level of its recruiting program while leaving 2 other well-funded challengers behind. Stephen Fincher (R), a farmer and gospel singer who bolted to a fast Fundraising start, has been named a "Young Gun," the top tier of the NRCC's recruiting ladder. Top GOP leaders in DC have been impressed with Fincher's abilities and his story since the moment he entered the race...

Charlie Crist Sued
By Larry Thornberry on 7.1.10 @ 6:08AM TAMPA -- Florida's former RINO Governor Charlie Crist, who shed his Republican disguise in April to seek a U.S. Senate seat as an independent, has shaken both sides of the money tree to great effect. But it's not clear now if he'll get away with it. A Florida Republican legislator and attorney in Naples is suing Crist in an attempt to get Crist to, as we phrase it in the South, do right. When Crist filed for the Senate seat in the spring of 2009 as a...

Kentucky Senate: Paul 49%, Conway 41%
Just after his big Republican Primary win last month, Rand Paul led his Democratic opponent Jack Conway by 25 points  in Kentucky's U.S. Senate race. Now Paul's lead is down to just eight points. The latest Rasmussen Reports statewide telephone survey finds the GOP nominee with support from 49% of the state's Voters while Conway earns 41% of the vote. Four percent (4%) prefer some other Candidate, and six percent (6%) are Undecided. Almost all Candidates receive a bounce following a...

Barton leads GOP ball team to defeat at bats of congressional Democrats
Barton leads GOP ball team to defeat at bats of congressional Democrats 12:00 AM CDT on Thursday, July 1, 2010 By MELANIE MASON / The Dallas Morning News [email protected] Washington - Rep. Joe Barton may have to answer to his House GOP colleagues for another failed performance on a Big stage. This one came at Nationals Park, where Democrats beat the Republican team that Barton coaches, 13-5, on Tuesday night. Barton earlier had to fend off calls that he step down from a House...

Healthcare law: 'High-risk' pool medical insurance program set to begin
Reporting from Washington — The Obama Administration and some State Governments will begin accepting applications Thursday for new Insurance programs designed to cover people who have been denied Insurance because they have preexisting medical Conditions. These so-called high-risk pools were included in the new healthcare law to provide relief for some of the most desperate Uninsured Americans until 2014, when Insurance Companies will be required to cover everyone regardless of medical...

SSP Daily Digest: 6/30

Republican Rep. Steve King's discharge petition aimed at repealing Obamacare gains 66 signatories
FILE - In this June 19, 20007 file photo, Rep. Steve King, R-Iowa, speaks to reporters on Capitol Hill in Washington. (AP Photo/Lauren Victoria Burke, File) Iowa Republican Rep. Steve King’s discharge petition , aimed at repealing ObamaCare, is gaining momentum in the House as more representatives sign on. Today Rep. Tom Price, Georgia Republican and chairman of the Republican Study Committee (RSC) is circulating a request that members support the petition. To date 66 representatives,...

Democrats USE Oil Spill To Control House Republicans
Oil Spill visits get partisan Politico Rep. Steve Scalise (R-La.) wanted to fly 10 lawmakers down to the Gulf of Mexico to see the damage caused by BP's gigantic Oil Spill first hand. House Democrats said no. Republicans want to be able to take trips using their office spending allowance. But Democrats have heard from the Department of Homeland Security, which has asked that Congress organize trips through committees of jurisdiction, to avoid having to cater to a ton of individual...

In speech, Obama to argue for immigration overhaul
Washington— President Barack Obama hopes to rally new momentum behind the push for an Immigration overhaul by explaining why he thinks a comprehensive approach is the only way to fix what he and others say is a system badly in need of repair. Obama was laying out his rationale in a Speech Thursday, his first as president on the issue. Obama wasn't expected to announce any new proposals or policy changes. But feeling pressure from a range of supporters, he was aiming to jump-start the...

In speech, Obama to argue for immigration overhaul
Washington — President Barack Obama hopes to rally new momentum behind the push for an Immigration overhaul by explaining why he thinks a comprehensive approach is the only way to fix what he and others say is a system badly in need of repair. Obama was laying out his rationale in a Speech Thursday, his first as president on the issue. Obama wasn't expected to announce any new proposals or policy changes. But feeling pressure from a range of supporters, he was aiming to jump-start the...

Obama exchanges election haymakers with Boehner
President Barack Obama tells the audience, "Don't tell Michelle (Obama)" that he wants a bratwurst and Wisconsin cheese curds, at his Town hall-style Meeting at Memorial Hall, Wednesday June 30, 2010 in Racine, Wis. (AP Photo/Journal Times, Mark Hertzberg) President Barack Obama took direct aim at the House Republican Leader on Wednesday, mocking him for comparing the 2008 Financial implosion to an ant. Obama's criticism of Minority Leader John Boehner comes four months before the Midterm...

Conservatives use Pelosi as face of liberalism in campaign ads
Beware! Nancy Pelosi is a colossal tax-dollar-engorged monster who ravages small towns and must be brought down by Republican ray guns. Or at least that is what a cartoon version of the House Speaker looked like in "Attack of the 50-Foot Pelosi," a Television ad that a conservative group called Right Change aired in Pennsylvania last month. A new Web site by the National ~#~1~#~ Congressional Committee portrays her as a malevolent puppet master, yanking the strings of 10...

Democrats Demagogue Jobless Benefits
From an outraged (at Republicans) Associated Press : 1.3 million unemployed won’t get Benefits restored By Stephen Ohlemacher, Associated Press Writer July 1, 2010 Washington " More than 1.3 million Laid-off workers won’t get their Unemployment Benefits reinstated before Congress goes on a weeklong vacation for Independence Day . An additional 200,000 people who have been without a job for at least six months stand to lose their Benefits each week, unless Congress acts. ...

Pawlenty Meeting With Palmetto Money Men
By Reid Wilson MN Gov. Tim Pawlenty (R) is adding a stop to his first trip to SC, holding an unannounced luncheon with major donors at the invitation of a heavy-hitting money man, according to GOP sources. Pawlenty attended the lunch, held in Columbia, in an effort to introduce himself to major donors in the state. The event was organized by John Rainey , a major supporter of George W. Bush , Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) and SC Gov. Mark Sanford (R). Rainey was a Pioneer for Bush's '00...

Individual choices at stake as laws take effect
Gun owners with permits can carry Concealed Weapons into restaurants that serve Alcohol in New Mexico and Virginia. Young and old alike must show proof of age when buying Alcohol in Indiana. Georgia and Kentucky are hitting the delete key on texting while driving. New laws taking effect Thursday reflect states' ongoing Debates over individual freedoms, touching on everything from smoking restrictions to measures seeking to fight crime. A widely publicized Arizona measure, requiring police...

SPIN METER: What happened to the Kagan standard?
Washington— Elena Kagan declined to discuss her passions, demurred when asked anything that might tip her hand on the Supreme Court and invoked her right to remain inscrutable even on cases buried in the past. In short, Kagan did her best to ensure her High Court nomination Hearing was just the kind of benign event she criticized years ago for lacking "seriousness and substance." Her dodges over two days of questioning prompted chuckles in the Senate Judiciary Committee as members, keenly...

ACLU issues travel warnings to Arizona
Phoenix — The nation's top Civil Liberties group on Wednesday issued travel alerts for Arizona, saying the state's new Law cracking down on Illegal Immigrants could lead to Racial Profiling and warrantless arrests. American Civil Liberties Union affiliates in Arizona, New Mexico and 26 other states put out the warnings in advance of the Fourth of July weekend. The Arizona chapter has received reports that Law Enforcement officers are already targeting some people even though the Law...

U.S. Deficit-Reduction Panel Gives Priority to Spending Cuts
By JOHN D. MCKINNON Democrats on a blue-ribbon Deficit-reduction panel suggested Spending Cuts would likely have to outweigh Tax Increases if the nation is to seriously tackle its ballooning financial obligations. The discussions came as Congressional Budget analysts projected that federal Debt would rise to 62% of gross domestic product by the end of 2010, the highest level since the aftermath of World War II. That's up from 40% at the end of 2008. Erskine Bowles, the Democratic co-chairman...

Filibuster Filigree
By Quin Hillyer on 7.1.10 @ 6:09AM The Senate Judiciary Committee hearings have highlighted so many concerns about Solicitor General Elena Kagan's record that senators should not vote to confirm her to the Supreme Court before giving their constituents a thorough opportunity to weigh in. It would be entirely consistent with past Republican positions, and not just defensible but highly advisable, for Republicans and moderate Democrats to announce a specifically time-limited Filibuster of Ms....

Filibuster Filigree
By Quin Hillyer on 7.1.10 @ 6:09AM The Senate Judiciary Committee hearings have highlighted so many concerns about Solicitor General Elena Kagan's record that senators should not vote to confirm her to the Supreme Court before giving their constituents a thorough opportunity to weigh in. It would be entirely consistent with past Republican positions, and not just defensible but highly advisable, for Republicans and moderate Democrats to announce a specifically time-limited Filibuster of Ms....

Wonkbook: House passes FinReg; unemployment insurance fails; CBO makes the case for stimulus
The House passed the revised conference report for FinReg, but with the Senate delaying its vote until after the Fourth of July, final passage remains uncertain. The Senate, meanwhile, did not pass the standalone Unemployment Insurance extension, meaning checks will cease for millions of Americans. Testimony from CBO director Doug Elmendorf suggests that short-term Stimulus may make budgetary sense, and can play nice with long-term Deficit reduction. A Senate proposal to eliminate the cap on...