The Congressional "Super Committee" charged with eliminating $1.4 Trillion in red ink from the Federal Budget announced today that it has failed. Now, a series of automatic across the board cuts will take place in 2013 if something isn't done to fix our fiscal crisis. David Gergen wrote an op-ed about the committee and it's failure and what it means for the American People. He rightly takes Congress and the committee to task for their failure, and points out how dire the consequences are if we do not fix our government. It is an incredibly articulate and scathing piece.
Have they gone nuts in Washington?
More and more folks are calling on Hillary Clinton to run in the 2012 election. The most recent pronouncement comes from Patrick Caddell and Douglas Schoen at The Wall Street Journal. They wrote an op-ed piece today essentially asking President Obama to step aside and allow Secretary Clinton to run as the Democratic nominee. The reasons presented in the piece are nothing new, but Mr. Caddell and Mr. Schoen are both influential opinion makers in progressive circles, therefore their ideas will be taken seriously. Add to the fervor the recent polling that showed Clinton performing significantly better than Obama in hypothetical match ups against all the declared Republican candidates.
Personally, I don't know if it's a good or bad idea. I am a big fan of both Mr. Caddell and Mr. Schoen, but I am uncertain in regards to the wisdom of such a move, regardless of the political upside.
Read their Op-Ed Piece for yourself, and see what you think.
Op-Ed: The Hillary Moment
Newt Gingrich has become the new flavor of the month in the Republican presidential field. New national polling places the former Speaker of the House either tied for first with Herman Cain or Mitt Romney, or well ahead of both.
I suppose it was only a matter of time before Newt made his surge in the polls. We've seen Bachmann, Perry, and Cain all spike in the polls before being beaten back by increased scrutiny by the media. The interesting thing about Gingrich is that his whole political career has been on display for decades, making it less likely that some new surprises will pop up. However, there are a couple of things about Gingrich that I think will make him an unpalatable choice for Republican primary voters.
The United States Secret Service confirmed today that the Cain Campaign will receive protective services from the agency. Mr. Cain is the first Republican candidate to receive protection from the Secret Service this election cycle. The Secret Service began offering protection for Presidential candidates after Robert F. Kennedy was assassinated in 1968. Since then, it has become standard for front-runner candidates to receive some protection from the agency.
Read more in CNN's wire report.
Sharon Bialek is the 1st woman to publicly address the sexual harassment claims made against GOP Presidential candidate Herman Cain. Her accusations, however, go beyond the standards of sexual harassment and, in fact, may be considered sexual assault.
At a press conference, Ms. Bialek alleged that Cain groped her - specifically putting his hand on her thigh and sliding it up her skirt, as well as pushing her head towards his crotch - following a dinner they both attended in 1997. Ms. Bialek is not one of the women that POLITICO mentioned when the story first broke. She also has lawyered up, hiring "Girl Power" attorney Gloria Allred.
John Avlon, a CNN contributor, wrote an op-ed that compared President Obama's poll standings 1 year from the election with his predecessors, to get a sense of his chances for re-election. The piece is very interesting. Avlon looks back at polls going back as far as Nixon. The comparisons are fascinating, and the speculation is always fun. I highly recommend reading it.
A year from election, how does Obama measure up?
Rick Perry hasn't been the best debater in the GOP field of presidential candidates, but he has been an effective speech maker throughout his political career. However, at a speech given in New Hampshire over the weekend, Perry appeared to try a new approach - humor. In my opinion, this approach failed miserably, but the end result is so bizarre compared to his earlier speeches. This wasn't just off-the-cuff for a few moments - this was a full half-hour of wonky. I'd expect this type of behavior from Michele Bachmann's camp, not the Perry camp.
If this is part of his comeback strategy, I don't think there will be much of a comeback. Watch the video for yourself.
