Taegan Goddard's Political Wire

Confirmation Battle Reading List
Sat, 09 Jul 2005 06:57:02 -0500
Senate Judiciary Committee chief council Michael E. O'Neill has compiled a "bibliography of required reading," which includes The Federal Appointments Process, by Michael Gerhardt, and The People Rising, "an account of the campaign to defeat the Supreme Court nomination of Robert H. Bork," according to the New York Times.

Meanwhile, Helaine Greenfeld, aide to ranking Democrat Senator Patrick Leahy (VT), is busy reading Committee chairman Arlen Specter's (R-PA) autobiography to prepare for the nomination battle.

GOP Insiders Prefer Gonzales on Court
Sat, 09 Jul 2005 06:52:00 -0500
The National Journals Insiders Poll finds that a majority of Republican lawmakers believe it would be better for the president to nominate Attorney General Alberto Gonzales to the Supreme Court than a conservative jurist like Appeals Court Judge J. Michael Luttig. Twenty-nine Republicans would prefer a Gonzales nomination, whereas 19 would rather have a conservative like Luttig.

Blogs To Play Key Role in Court Fight
Fri, 08 Jul 2005 15:25:54 -0500
"Political groups preparing to battle over the first U.S. Supreme Court nomination in 11 years have a powerful new tool -- Internet blogs -- to spread information quickly and influence decision makers without relying on traditional media," Reuters reports.

Said a spokesman for Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid: "A key part of our strategy is reaching out to the Internet community."

Meanwhile, Wonkette mocks blogs reporting rumors of Supreme Court Chief Justice William Rehnquist's retirement.

Henry in Strong Position for Re-Election
Fri, 08 Jul 2005 12:26:14 -0500
A KOTV poll finds that Oklahoma Gov. Brad Henry (D) "appears to be in a strong position for a re-election bid." Henry leads former U.S. Rep. J.C. Watts (R), 49% to 34%. The poll also showed that Henry had an approval rating of 72%, with 60% of Republicans saying they support the governor.

New Jersey Moves Up Primary
Fri, 08 Jul 2005 09:18:21 -0500
New Jersey acting Gov. Richard Codey (D) signed a law that would move the states primary from early June to the final Tuesday in February, according to the Gloucester County Times. Supporters of the legislation hope the date change will give the state more relevance in the selection of presidential nominees.

Roemer Declines to Challenge Lugar
Fri, 08 Jul 2005 09:05:43 -0500
Former Rep. Tim Roemer (D-IN) announced that he won't challenge Sen. Dick Lugar (R-IN) next year, the Fort Wayne Journal-Gazette reports.

Tancredo Begins Iowa Campaign
Fri, 08 Jul 2005 09:03:40 -0500
Rep. Tom Tancredo (R-CO) "started barnstorming through eastern Iowa on Thursday, talking immigration to religious conservatives and stepping up his flirtation with the 2008 presidential race" the Rocky Mountain News reports. The trip to Iowa "represents a serious escalation since he is spreading his message to a conservative constituency that rarely focuses on immigration but is considered crucial for anyone seeking the Republican presidential nomination."

The Story Behind Deep Throat
Fri, 08 Jul 2005 08:53:13 -0500
In case you missed it, the NBC News interview with Bob Woodward about Deep Throat and his new book, The Secret Man, is available online.

A Slate review says the book is "like all Woodward books it's kind of a jigsaw puzzle. Woodward lays out, in meticulous detail, everything you need to know and then refuses to explain what it all adds up to."

White House Preparing for Double Nomination
Fri, 08 Jul 2005 08:37:52 -0500
After rumors that Chief Justice William Rehnquist might soon retire, the White House is "preparing for the possibility," the Washington Post reports.

"Talk of a possible Rehnquist retirement has reached full boil again as Republican strategists mapped out plans for how to tackle a double nomination. Advisers inside and outside the White House are discussing how to select two potential nominees, how they might match or balance each other and how to sequence their confirmation hearings."

Meanwhile, in an interview with the Denver Post, Attorney General Alberto Gonzales sought to downplay speculation about his possible nomination: "I've been asked since 2001 whether or not I'd consider going on the court, and I've consistently said, 'I'm not a candidate for the Supreme Court' -- and that remains true today. I love being attorney general. My job, currently, is to help the president make this decision."

Golisano Open to Running as a Republican
Fri, 08 Jul 2005 08:05:29 -0500
Billionaire businessman Tom Golisano says he thinks "every day of the week" about running again for governor of New York, "maybe even as the Republican candidate next time around," but has not yet decided, the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle reports.

Said Golisano: "There has been a lot of conversation that the Republican Party may be interested in having me as a candidate. I don't know how solid that is."

The Hotline's Blogometer
Thu, 07 Jul 2005 22:06:19 -0500
The Hotline released a freely-available, beta version of its Blogometer, a daily report "taking the temperature of the political blogosphere."

All About Leadership PACs
Thu, 07 Jul 2005 21:38:39 -0500
The Boston Phoenix looks at the most popular fundraising vehicle for prospective presidential candidates. "More than a dozen presidential hopefuls, in both parties, are actively operating these so-called leadership PACs."

"The FEC gives these PACs much more latitude in raising and spending money. So, politicians in the early stage of a national campaign use their leadership PACs to fly around the country, buy tables at fundraising events, hold meet-and-greet functions, host a Web site, build up campaign staff, and even do campaign-like activities Commonwealth PAC did a 17-state direct mailing last month. These PACs also offer a way to court other influential pols by contributing to their campaigns."

Meanwhile, Open Secrets has an excellent backgrounder and a breakdown of spending by all leadership PACs.

Allen Could Bridge Republican Divide
Thu, 07 Jul 2005 14:57:57 -0500
George Will writes about Sen. George Allen's (R-VA) chances in the 2008 race for the GOP presidential nomination.

"The ideal Republican candidate can meld two Republican tendencies that are in tension -- social conservatism and libertarianism. Social conservatives have no complaints with Allen, and libertarians vibrate like tuning forks to his invocations of 'Mr. Jefferson,' as Virginians refer to their saint of minimal government."

New Hampshire Already Busy
Thu, 07 Jul 2005 14:48:38 -0500
Previewing his trip to New Hampshire next week, the Manchester Union-Leader notes that Sen. Evan Bayh's (D-IN) "itinerary certainly suggests a campaign-style visit." Bayh will have several "meet and greets" with voters as well as private meetings with state party officials.

Meanwhile, former Sen. John Edwards (D-NC) "has added more stops to his late July visit" to the Granite State.

Democrats Give Bloomberg High Approval Rating
Thu, 07 Jul 2005 09:39:59 -0500
A New York Observer poll finds that New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg's (R) approval rating among Democratic voters is higher than that of any of his Democratic opponents. Bloomberg had a 62% approval rating among Democrats, whereas Fernando Ferrer, the Democratic frontrunner, had an approval rating of 59%.

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