If you read only one thing today, make it David Leonhardt’s column in the New York Times about what the underlying economic data and historical precedent tell us about how well the much-maligned stimulus plan actually worked.
The White House expects to see job growth by this spring. That and the day’s other political news in the TPMDC Morning Roundup.
The big annual Conservative Political Action Conference kicks off tomorrow here in Washington. Things are looking a lot better politically for conservatives than they were even six months ago. But they still have this little matter of the Tea Party insurgency within their ranks. We preview the first CPAC of the Tea Party era.
TPMmuckraker interviews a man who witnessed up close Amy Bishop fleeing after shooting her brother in1986. And by up close I mean, she waved a gun at him and demanded a getaway car.
Police captured Bishop moments later right outside the building where this witness worked, but he says police never interviewed him or other employees who were there when it all happened. Justin Elliott reports.
Read this poll analysis from Public Policy Polling …
The vast majority of opposition to health care and allowing gays to serve openly in the military is coming from people who already say there’s no chance they’ll vote Democratic this fall. That’s an indication of minimal fallout for Congressional Democrats by acting on these issues.
37% of Americans say they will definitely not vote Democratic for Congress this year. 34% say they definitely will and that leaves roughly 30% of the country up for grabs.
Right now 50% of voters say they oppose President Obama’s health care plan to just 39% in support. Digging a little deeper on those numbers though 64% of respondents planning or open to voting Democratic this fall support it with only 22% opposed. The overall numbers are negative only because of 94/1 opposition among folks who have said there is no way they’ll vote Democratic this fall.
It’s not surprising. But the data is startlingly clear. Painful to see it ignored.
Rachel Maddow v. Glenn Beck on global warming. Watch.
Real Mount Vernon denied conservative leaders permission to hold their ‘Mount Vernon Statement’ signing event at the actual Mount Vernon.
Must Read: How the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, Adm. Mullen, changed everything on gays in the military and Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.
We get a glimpse into the kind of advice corporate lawyer/lobbyist types in DC are giving their clients about how to take advantage of Citizens United‘s loosening of restrictions on corporate contributions — while avoiding leaving their fingerprints on the cash.