Daily News Round-Up for May 6, 2009

Real Clear Politics ( USA )

Quinnipiac released a poll yesterday showing Tom Ridge running just a few points behind Arlen Specter in a hypothetical match-up. Importantly, the results also showed Specter below 50%. Today, Chris Cillizza reports that Ridge is interested in running.

Washington Times ( Washington , DC )

Capitulating to critics on the Republican National Committee, embattled Republican Party Chairman Michael S. Steele has signed a secret pact agreeing to controls and restraints on how he spends hundreds of millions of dollars in party funds and contracts.

PA 2010 ( Harrisburg , PA )

A small number of Pennsylvania conservatives are quietly floating an unexpected alternative to Pat Toomey for the GOP Senate primary next year: longtime Republican operative Joe Watkins.

Washington Post ( Washington , DC )

Less than 24 hours after Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman's national profile received a nice -- and unexpected -- boost from the man who managed President Obama's 2008 campaign, comes words that John Weaver is providing strategic guidance to the governor who is becoming a frontrunner for the 2012 GOP Presidential candidate rumors.

Daily News Round-Up for May 5, 2009

Washington Post ( Washington , DC )

Former Pennsylvania governor Tom Ridge (R) is seriously considering a 2010 bid for the Senate seat held by Republican-turned-Democrat Arlen Specter and will make his decision in the next two weeks, according to several sources familiar with his thinking.

Tennessean ( Nashville , TN )

A big sign is now hanging over the GOP's "big tent" that says "No moderate need apply."

CNN Political Ticker ( USA )

A few hours after Rush Limbaugh told listeners GOP leaders launching a Republican re-branding effort hated and feared Sarah Palin, House Minority Whip Eric Cantor announced that the Alaska governor had finally accepted an invitation to join the group.

Politico ( Washington , DC )

After talking to President Barack Obama on the phone today, Republican Sen. Orrin Hatch says he believes the White House will move swiftly on its Supreme Court nominee, perhaps making an announcement by the end of this week.

Daily News Round-Up for May 4, 2009

Buffalo News ( Buffalo , NY )

Former Rep. Jack Kemp is today remembered in many ways following his Saturday death from cancer - Buffalo Bills quarterback, Western New York congressman, Cabinet secretary and vice presidential candidate.

Roll Call ( Washington , DC )

Former Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Ridge is considering running for the Republican Senate nomination in his home state, according to a senior Republican aide with knowledge of the situation.

Politico ( Washington , DC )

Senator Arlen Specter warned Republican leaders on Sunday to stand up against the right-wing Club for Growth, which helped drive the Pennsylvania senator into the Democratic Party last week.

Huffington Post ( USA )

The loss of political moderates is perhaps the best indicator of a political party in decline. When the extremes on either side of the political aisle become the dominant voice in a two-party system it tends to suggest that their beliefs are normative, diminishing the value placed on compromise, which is where moderates most often exist.

ABC News ( USA )

Republican Sen. Orrin Hatch of Utah, the longest serving Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee, said on "This Week" Sunday that President Barack Obama used "code" for an activist judge this week when describing his ideal nominee to replace retiring Justice David Souter

Daily News Round-Up for May 1, 2009

Washington Post ( Washington , DC )

Justice David H. Souter, the Republican-appointed New England jurist who has become a reliable centrist on the Supreme Court, has told friends that he plans to retire, according to a government official.

The Week ( USA )

It ought to be obvious to any Republican why we need to make room for politicians like Snowe and Collins in our party. It's not like we have so many votes that we can afford to throw them away. And yet, some Republicans responded to the defection this week of Sen. Arlen Specter by saying: "Good riddance-don't let the door hit you on the way out."

Politico ( Washington , DC )

The National Republican Senatorial Committee is recruiting Rep. Jim Gerlach (R-Pa.) to run for the Senate because it views Pat Toomey as unelectable against Sen. Arlen Specter, according to Gerlach's lead consultant.

New York Times ( New York , NY )

A longtime Democratic consultant, Anita Dunn, has been coaxed into joining President Obama in the White House, agreeing to be his communications director for up to several months until a permanent appointee is named, an administration adviser said Thursday.

Cornyn knows that moderates are needed to win

Senator John Cornyn, the head of the NRSC, is out with a new interview with The Hill where he talks about his worries about not losing any more seats in the 2010 Senate Elections. Interestingly enough, a seat that seems worrisome to Cornyn is the Pennsylvania Senate seat- the same seat that real Republican is fighting off extremist Pat Toomey for in an already bitter primary. Cornyn recently sent a letter to Pennsylvania GOPers saying that he needed Specter to win in 2010, and Cornyn seems to fully realize that a Toomey victory would spell disaster for the PA GOP and the NRSC.

However, Cornyn did speak about the fresher faces challenging embattled Democrats, many of which includes more moderate Republicans like former Rep Rob Simmons, who is challenging Senator Chris Dodd (D-CT). This might be a sign that the NRSC understands that moderate Republicans must be welcomed into the Party and whole-heartedly supported if they are going to not dip any further below the number of seats they hold now- and even win a few more. Finally, after two cycles of brutal losses, the Party seems to be getting it. We can only hope that extreme fundamentalists are able to see the same and pay attention to the signs of life emerging from the moderate base.

Daily News Round-Up for April 15th, 2009

New York Times (New York, NY)

Pat Toomey, the former head of the extremist Club for Growth, announced this morning on his new campaign Web site that he would again challenge incumbent Arlen Specter for the Republican nomination. Mr. Specter fought off a challenge from Mr. Toomey, a former congressman, in 2004.

St. Petersburg Times (Tampa Bay, FL)

His approval ratings may be sky high, but if Charlie Crist runs for the U.S. Senate, he still could face a serious primary challenge from former state House Speaker Marco Rubio.

The Hill (Washington, DC)

Several Republican lawmakers are expected at 750 Boston Tea Party-styled protests to mark the day federal taxes are due.

Star Ledger (Trenton, NJ)

State election law officials are questioning the campaign of Republican gubernatorial hopeful Steve Lonegan for stuffing dollar bills in mailings to grab the attention of donors, the candidate said yesterday.