Report: Obama Aides Weigh Bid to Tie GOP To Tea Party
The New York Times reports that White House political advisers are considering ideas to cast the Republican Party as having been taken over by Tea Party extremists: “White House and Congressional Democratic strategists are trying to energize dispirited Democratic voters over the coming six weeks, in hopes of limiting the party’s losses and keeping control of the House and Senate. The strategists see openings to exploit after a string of Tea Party successes split Republicans in a number of states, culminating last week with developments that scrambled Senate races in Delaware and Alaska.”
White House Denies Effort To Tie GOP To Tea Party
However, Politico reports: The White House is pushing back hard against a New York Times report that the president’s political team is considering a national ad campaign that would cast the GOP as taken over by tea party extremists. The story is ‘100 percent inaccurate,’ a White House official told POLITICO. Times Washington bureau chief Dean Baquet counters that the ‘piece is accurate.'”
Obama’s Day Ahead
President Obama will receive the presidential daily briefing at 10 a.m. ET, and will meet at 10:30 a.m. ET with senior advisers. At 12 p.m. ET, he will participate in a CNBC town hall discussion on jobs. He will depart from the White House at 3:05 p.m. ET, and depart from Andrews Air Force Base at 3:20 p.m. ET, arriving at 4:05 p.m. ET in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He will deliver remarks at a 5:10 p.m. ET fundraiser for Senate candidate Joe Sestak, and deliver remarks at a 6:05 p.m. ET dinner reception for Sestak. He will then deliver remarks at a 7:20 p.m. ET dinner reception for 7:20 p.m. ET. He will depart form Philadelphia at 8:15 p.m. ET, arriving at 8:55 p.m. ET at Andrews Air Force Base, and will arrive back at the White House at 9:05 p.m. ET.
Biden’s Day Ahead
Vice President Biden will deliver remarks at 9:30 a.m. ET at the U.S.-Japan Council’s Annual Conference in Washington, DC. He will then travel to Dayton, Ohio. He will attend an event at 12:30 p.m. ET for Gov. Ted Strickland, and in the afternoon he will deliver remarks at a rally for Strickland. He will attend another event for Strickland at 5:45 p.m. ET, and he will return in the evening to Washington.
Lady Gaga To Maine Senators: I Want Your Vote To Repeal DADT
The Washington Post reports: “Lady Gaga plans to visit Maine on Monday in an effort to convince the state’s two Republican senators to vote to repeal the law banning gays from serving in the military. Gaga will rally with fans and opponents of the law on Monday at Deering Oaks Park in Portland, near the campus of University of Southern Maine. The pop star announced her travel plans via Twitter on Sunday night.”
Obama Tries To Drum Up Liberal Enthusiasm
CQ reports: “President Barack Obama is finally trumpeting the issues that are among the most important to his base — gay rights, immigration reform and middle-class tax relief — in his latest shift in strategy to try to boost Democrats’ prospects in November. Whether Obama can excite liberals to head to the polls simply by reiterating support for their top causes remains to be seen. But the president — and House and Senate Democratic leaders — know that midterm losses could be more severe if he doesn’t gin up some party enthusiasm.”
Hill Divided On Rahm’s Future
Roll Call reports: “There’s no unanimity of opinion among Congressional Democrats about whether White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel should quit his job to run for Chicago mayor. Some have said the hard-charging top aide to President Barack Obama is irreplaceable, and that without him the administration would have failed to pass core pieces of its agenda; others argue Emanuel is to blame for Obama’s failures and accuse him of giving up on too many liberal priorities too early.”
Social Conservatives Confident Views Will Be In New GOP Contract
The Hill reports: “Social conservatives are confident that their issues will be included in the anticipated new House GOP Contract with America. According to key anti-abortion lawmaker Rep. Joseph Pitts (R-Pa.), GOP leadership gave their reassurances that lighting-rod issues related to abortion would be addressed in the final, yet-to-be-seen ‘governing agenda.’…’There will be some in there, yes. I haven’t seen the language but have been told that there will be some in there, the social issues,’ Pitts said in an interview with The Hill.”
