Jon Corzine panics: “Allies of New Jersey’s Democratic governor, Jon S. Corzine, are so worried about his re-election prospects that they are going to start spending and advertising heavily — in the Republican primary.Mr. Corzine’s allies plan to attack the Republican they consider more formidable, former federal prosecutor Christopher J. Christie, in an attempt to knock him out in the June primary, according to people briefed on the matter.”
Ross Douthat :”You can’t have a successful political party without centrists. Happily for Republicans still smarting from last week’s defection, you can have a successful political party without centrists like Arlen Specter.” At least one who is less erratic.
Los Angeles Unified School District pays out $10M to pay teachers not to teach. That isn’t “teach badly” — that is “not teach at all.” And most school districts do the same. Hey, they could be GM employees!
What a difference six months and turnout makes: “Republican Captures Seat in Alexandria; Council Result Another Setback For Democrats.” That would be in Northern Virginia in a Democratic stronghold. Nothing in politics can be taken for granted.
The Washington Post continues to give Terry McAuliffe a tough time, chiding him for “always selling” and quoting Jame Hamsher saying he “looks like the guy who wants to get you into a LeSabre.” Ouch.
Nevertheless, McAuliffe according to a new poll appears to be pulling away from the pack. We’ll see if the Post remains as critical if and when he becomes the Democratic nominee.
It is official — Florida Republican Marco Rubio throws his hat in the ring for U.S. Senate.
Interesting: “A new poll of the Delaware Senate race by Susquehanna Polling and Research (April 27-30, 500 RV, MoE +/- 4.38%) shows Republican Congressman Mike Castle with a substantial lead over Democratic State AG (and son of the Vice President) Beau Biden.” (Castle hasn’t yet declared.) Hmm. Suddenly 2010 looks a bit different if Connecticut, Delaware, and Illinois are opportunities for the Republicans.
Has Obama started a fight he can’t win with the CIA? Democrats in Congress think so and are trying letters of semi-apology.
And now Obama is in quite a fix over closing Guantanamo: incur a ferocious political backlash at home or disappoint his fan club in Berlin and Paris?
Sen. Max Baucus is trying to “work the refs” at CBO who keep insisting nationalized healthcare doesn’t magically pay for itself. They said they would take politics out of science, but math is a whole different matter.
I think Marc Ambinder has this backward: “Conservative talk radio hosts have begun impugning Sotomayor’s credibility. And the respectable intellectual center — see Jeffrey Rosen’s case against her temperament and inherent intellectual abilities — is beginning to have doubts.” Actually, Rosen published a scathing critique of her which conservatives cited. Rather than a vendetta from the Right, the buzz seems to be a plea for self-preservation from the Left. In any case, Obama can go ahead and pick whomever he wants regardless of what Rosen thinks.
In case you thought you were getting your money back: “Chrysler LLC will not repay U.S. taxpayers more than $7 billion in bailout money it received earlier this year and as part of its bankruptcy filing.”
The Wall Street Journal editors get it exactly right on the Voting Rights Act: “When it was written, Section Five was an important protection for minority voters. The best compliment to the law is that its success has made it no longer necessary. We keep reading that Mr. Obama’s election is a historic moment, and so it is. But then the country ought to be able to discuss — and the Supreme Court should be able to decide — if discriminatory laws passed to break Jim Crow are still justified.”
