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If it's Monday morning, it's time for some more RNC Chair-related gossip, and as I sometimes do in these posts, I'll start off by quoting from Politico's Playbook, which today was sent out at 8:11 AM ET. It begins:
Good Monday morning. EXCLUSIVE: On a 7:30 p.m. conference call, Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele is expected to announce he won’t seek reelection when the committee picks a new chairman at its winter meeting next month. Friends warn that you never...

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Joel Connelly has an excellent column at the Seattle P-I today, profiling the two (all-but-certain) contenders to replace soon-to-be outgoing Washington Gov. Christine Gregoire. Here's a long excerpt:
Possible Democratic contender Rep. Jay Inslee is being his bold, bellicose self this week. He is out front in denouncing a "millionaires and billionaires" tax cut compromise negotiated by a Democratic president with whom he may share the ticket in 2012.
Republican Attorney General Rob...

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From Politico:
After agreeing to kill earmarks, some of the most conservative GOP lawmakers are already starting to ask themselves: What have we done?
Indeed, many Republicans are now worried that the bridges in their districts won’t be fixed, the tariff relief to the local chemical company isn’t coming and the water systems might not be built without a little direction from Congress.
So some Republicans are discussing exemptions to the earmark ban, allowing...

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If you read Politico's Morning Score (and I do), you will have noticed this morning that there is * big news * in the RNC Chairman's race.
Saul Anuzis got the endorsement of the founder of the Tea Party Nation.
Ann Wagner has garnered the endorsement of Phyllis Schlafly.
Reince Priebus seems to be being talked up and defended big-time by Henry Barbour.
Let's be clear about this: While these are fun stories to write about, two of these bits of news will have little to no...

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Nancy Pelosi today:
House passed middle class tax cuts 234-188, helping all Americans w/o adding 700B to deficit or giveaways to millionaires.


Wow. Really? According to Democrats' own logic, all tax cuts amount to spending. And since we already have a big fat budget deficit, all spending right now amounts to deficit spending. So, since the middle class tax cuts are worth $3.2 trillion over ten years, I guess Nancy's right. She and her buds didn't just add $700...

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Over recent months, speculation amongst the pundit class has increased regarding the true philosophy of self-indentified Tea Partiers and-- arguably more importantly-- the public figures who have associated themselves with the Tea Party and (in some cases) attempted quite blatantly to leverage it to advance their own causes.

One name I have of late heard mentioned and joined with extensive praise with great frequency from hardcore fiscal conservative, libertarianish Tea Partiers is...

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Via Dave Weigel, I see today that Rep. Dave Camp, who is set to take over at House Ways and Means, has been making some pretty sensible comments about tax reform that I daresay could piss off some self-described "conservatives" for all the right reasons:
I aim to launch and fight the tax reform battle once again. And, I am well aware that this might ruffle those who have used the tax code to benefit particular industries or activities at the expense of economic efficiency, simplicity, and...

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After berating Mitch McConnell for his apparent disinterest in banning earmarks last week, I have to do the right thing and offer credit where credit is due: While I was up in New Hampshire yesterday for meetings, McConnell announced he would support an earmark moratorium, saying this:
I know the good that has come from the projects I have helped support throughout my state. I don’t apologize for them. But there is simply no doubt that the abuse of this practice has caused Americans...

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I love campaign season. No, it's not the insanely over the top attack ads. It's not the fact that there is typically at least one establishment RINO that all my uber-conservative friends can accuse candy-ass RINO me of having a gigantic secret crush on, either.
No, I like campaign season because it typically results in Republicans sounding like Republicans on stuff like spending, and enables me to suspend disbelief for many months and pretend that the largely disingenuous posturers are...

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Patty Murray remains locked in a too-tight-for-comfort race for re-election, facing off against Dino Rossi, who continues to nip at her heels in the polls. That situation has left Murray looking for a way to take it to Rossi and help shut him down in the final weeks before ballots go out in the mail, and based on what's just arrived in my inbox, it looks like she's banking on a visit from Bill Clinton to help do the job. From her email:
I have some exciting news to share: ...

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