Rick Perry's doubling down on his "Social Security is a Ponzi scheme" rhetoric during last night's debate could be beneficial for him in a Republican primary but hurtful in a general election. And while the Mitt Romney campaign was quick to pounce on the statement with its not-so-subtle "PERRY DOES NOT BELIEVE SOCIAL SECURITY SHOULD EXIST" press release, Perry seems to be sticking by the characterization. "Maybe it's time to have some provocative language in this country," he said in the debate.
At Politico, Alexander Burns points out that the "Ponzi scheme" rhetoric on Social Security didn't sink at least one Republican in a high-profile (state) race (something John McCormack noted last week). Ron Johnson defeated incumbent senator Russ Feingold in Wisconsin last year, even as Feingold criticized the political novice, Johnson, for criticizing Social Security in the same way. Burns points to this ad from Johnson, who took the attack head on:
Johnson, however, emphasized that reform was needed in order to save Social Security -- and that message didn't come through clearly when Perry focused on defending his "provocative rhetoric." Perry is probably right that voters, even general election voters, want provocative honesty from their politicians, but even many Republican primary voters aren't looking to end Social Security or Medicare. As McCormack noted, it's an argument Perry will have to hone.
There's a longstanding debate over the reasons for the Republican victory in last year's midterm elections. On one side are those who say the great shellacking was inevitable because of America's high unemployment rate. On the other are those who say that the Democratic policy agenda shouldn't be dismissed as an important factor.
It's been remarkable to watch Jon Stewart fall out of love with Barack Obama. Stewart is an intelligent man, a liberal who has reasons for his liberalism, and so he's been unable to sustain the cult worship of the president you find in more reliable Democratic partisans. But Stewart is also a funny man, maybe the funniest politicized liberal around (and a lot funnier than the crass, snarky, and condescending Stephen Colbert), and so Stewart's process of disillusionment has been a pleasure to watch. For example:
1. Delaware Primary. The stakes are high in Delaware as First State Republicans are set to choose between moderate Republican Mike Castle and conservative, Tea Party-backed Christine O’Donnell. PPP is now finding a statistical tie between the two, and the battle has turned conservative allies against one another.
The Chicago Sun-Times is reporting that mob banker Alexi Giannoulias will attack his Republican opponent for being among the many dozens of Democrats and Republicans who believed Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction before the 2003 Iraq invasion.
Nearly a year ago, former-President Bill Clinton visited Capitol Hill and advised congressional Democrats that the best way to secure their political futures was to pass Obamacare. Speaking to reporters afterward, Clinton said, "I think it is good politics to pass this and to pass it as soon as they can.... The worst thing to do is nothing."
1. Latest Sign of the Dempocalypse.CNN's generic ballot numbers are just rotten for Democrats. The GOP leads 52-45 among registered voters. Republicans even have a lead of 49-44 among "adults." Unfortunately, there are no cross-tabs breaking down support by party affiliation, but you can't produce numbers like this in a poll of registered voters without the Democrats getting crushed among Independent voters.
A new Quinnipiac poll shows that New York senator Kirsten Gillibrand is leading her potential GOP opponents by about 20 points. New York Republicans have failed to get a big-name candidate (Giuliani, Pataki) to take on Gillibrand, and her seat is generally considered to be one of the few Democratic seats that Democrats don't have to worry about in 2010.
In an interview with a local Florida TV station, governor and independent Senate candidate Charlie Crist says "I would have voted for" the national health care bill:
Christian Science Monitor reporter Gail Russell Chaddock wrote this story yesterday about Democrats' tough sledding heading toward November, and specifically the congressional race in Virginia's 11th congressional district between incumbent Democrat Gerry Connelly and Republican challenger Keith Fimian.
